My client had a tragic event take place in her life when she was blindsided by betrayal. It was an extraordinarily difficult experience for her. During that chaotic time, with nowhere else to turn, she reached out to God with an earnestness and sincerity she said she had never known before. She remembered vividly the exact moment that she felt overwhelmingly known and loved by God, and it filled her with clarity, comfort, and peace.

This painting was created to embody that feeling and preserve the memory of that experience.

This painting was commissioned by a collector who requested a depiction of Heavenly Parents. Unsure how to approach such a personal subject without it feeling distant, overly symbolic, or contrived, I asked for prompts—emotions they hoped to convey, and a color palette that fit their home. She described warm tones—golds, pinks, and reds. I also perceived a deep desire to be wholly reunited with her now grown, dispersed children.

That led me to imagine the Parents not as distant ideals, but as actively engaged: reaching out, supporting, and welcoming. I began with a sculpture sketch, and drew inspiration from The Ascension of Eve by Solomon J. Solomon. To help shape the composition, I worked with aerial performers as models.

This is the first piece in my career where a significant amount of this painting was created without direct reference of any kind, which made the process both liberating and vulnerable.

I recently received a letter. In the letter there was an old photograph and check, from a Idaho man who expressed deep love for his wife. He told me he met her in Korea when he was in the army. They got married, and she has been the love of his life ever since. I have never used a collector's reference before, however, I found the love for his wife, and his straight-forward approach compelling.

I made up the color by looking at other portraits in a similar poses. I referenced landscapes in Idaho, to give a nod to where they built their life.

This piece was an effort not only to render the portrait per the provided photograph, but deepen it with a setting, color palette, and overall treatment to fully represent what this woman meant to her husband.

When I first spoke with the couple that commissioned this piece, I had already been contemplating a concept: a painting of the second coming of Christ that was focused on the different reactions of those who might witness it- excitement, fear, shame, wonder, joy, and above all, hope. An additional theme emerged of how this event might reveal our relationships with our loved ones as we comfort, celebrate with, worry for, and reach to those we love in such a paramount moment. This collector was very compelled by this concept, and requested some specific details that had personal significance to them.

This piece was challenging in that I had to sew together so many different visual elements, both for the figures and the landscape. In some cases I sculpted models to get the dimensional placement I needed. The close observer will see the influence of Mucha, Friberg, Bierstadt, and Wyeth in this piece as I had to compile so many elements to achieve the whole scene.

I hope this piece will invite viewers to reflect on the absolute and final moments that we will all eventually face in this life.

I was commissioned to paint Dianne, who is in poor heath but high spirits. Though she was in a hospital bed with oxygen, I wanted to give the viewer a feeling of her being free, open and confident in whatever comes next.

I like to ask family and friends about the person I am about to paint. Here is some of what was said-

Her motto for motherhood was to treat her children as they were the most important people in the world. She did everything in her power to give us a joyful childhood & say yes to nearly everything we asked to do. She encouraged us to seek after and develop our talents. She wrote lots of poetry & over 100 songs to express herself. She loved nature and helped us appreciate the beautiful world we have. She loved God and taught us about repentance. She adored my father and their relationship has always been a living example of how to support and love a spouse through good and challenging times. My mom loved dancing in the rain and wouldn't let lack of a swim suit keep her out of swimming in the ocean when the opportunity arises.

Drena grew up with horses. As her family grew, she made the difficult choice to let go of the horse she loved, knowing she could no longer give him the care she believed he deserved.

She still misses the work and companionship of horses and hopes to return to that life someday.

This painting was commissioned by her husband, who remembered a passion she was forced to set aside. The painting is not about loss, but about something enduring and something waiting.

The painting includes her horse and their family ranch in Swan Valley, Idaho. It was an absolutely stunning place to visit.