Michigan Commission

In the summer of 2024, I had the honor of creating a special painting for a nature-loving family in coastal Michigan. I set out to create a painting that would reflect the family’s connection to their home - the places and things that are most meaningful to each of the five family members. This commission was unlike any other painting I had ever created. I needed to see what minerals, flora, man-made and natural formations stirred the soul of each person, and visually represent that joy within the canvas.  After a few days of exploring the upper Keweenaw Peninsula with their family (and mine!), my sense of fulfilment was immense, and I had yet to begin painting!

rocks

For one particular family member, rocks are very special. They are a tactile form of past, present, and future. Her knowledge of these solid forms was amazing, and colors and shapes of actual rocks were woven into the final painting.

native flowers

Every family member spoke of and showed me their favorite native flowers. These little dots of color saturated the physical landscape and were a vital component in the painting. These dots of colors inspire happiness and awe. Truly mood altering.

The vast beauty of coastal Michigan…

Although the visual impact of the landforms was extraordinary, I noticed family members would close their eyes while they were in these spaces. I mimicked their response, and for the first time in a long time, I really felt the space around me. It seemed this experience was indescribable to all as we each stumbled to effectively describe our feelings while quiet and still in this space.

I knew that the resulting painting would have to capture this feeling.

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Four days later I finished the painting on-site. And to me, it’s beautiful. Not necessarily because of how the paint was pushed around the canvas, but because the individual elements placed within the painting were so unifying that if taken out, the resulting piece would just not work as it does.

This piece truly represents family.