Beneath the Surface
Paintings and Poetry

There is so much that lies beneath the surface. There is hidden pain, hidden sorrow. There are also hidden joys, hidden passions and hidden potential. Often times we hide because we fear what may lie beneath our own surface. We are hesitant to discover our full potential.
Like a seed planted in the ground we are full of promise. How will we emerge from this dark hiding place? Or will our fear suffocate us? This shell is only ours for a while and time will show how we will come out of it. To grow to great heights takes courage to face what the world has to offer. When we do this we leave ourselves vulnerable to the many dangers that lurk above the surface. We seek nourishment. We need to drink. We need to feel the sun on our backs. We need companionship. We need to be strong. We desire to feel a connection with that which is greater than us. We seek to be connected to the Creator.
There is a force that calls us out of our darkness to pierce through that security of ground to seek new heights. And as we grow closer, we become stronger, not by our own strength or anything that we have done but through a higher strength.
First, we have to overcome that same fear that babies must overcome when they leave the womb. They must leave behind everything that they know, their safety, their security. They must venture into an unknown world with unknown dangers, with unknown possibilities. We have the same fears when we leave this stage of life as well. What is on the other side? Will it be full of tears and dangers or will it be filled with glorious wonder that we could never have imagined as we laid beneath the surface.

I was born and raised in South Dakota where I studied art at the University of South Dakota. After graduating with Honors with Distinction I started work as an artist. Shortly after, I moved to the Central Coast and have lived here for almost four years. I have come to call this place home. I have experience in easel art, commission work, mural painting, liturgical art, graphic design while exploring other mediums and processes.