Speaking Truth to Our Parents

Growing up, my step-father smoked and drank almost everyday. When I was 13 I drew a picture of a man in a business suit with 100 cigarettes stuffed in his mouth, holding a butcher knife over his wrist. I gave it to him for his birthday. This drawing was a love letter to say Dad, I love you so much, but I’m watching you kill yourself and it breaks my heart and I want you to stop.

Have you told your parents a hard truth before? How did it go? Did they change? How do you receive your children’s truth? As we get older the line between child and parent blurs and we end up becoming peers. My dad (i call my step-father “Dad”) passed away 2 months ago when I was in the middle of creating the works for my current art show. He passed away from lung cancer - directly related to what I asked him to stop doing almost 30 years ago. This experience deeply impacted my current art show.

The emotions of loss and of hope and gratitude for his presence in my life transmuted into the work. People ask me a lot about what my paintings mean or what I felt when I made them - and I always hesitate because I dont want to influence what someone else might feel. The language of color is different than our verbal language - think of our eyes as optical ears for our brain - the eyes receive and translate light and reflection to form an image that carries with it deep messages and concepts that cannot be formed into words - but our hearts and mind understands those messages which translate to lessons and motivations inside us. Sometimes this is why we cry when we see a piece of art we love.

I really enjoy writing these newsletters, I hope you enjoy reading them. Thank you for taking a moment to read my story.

Tomorrow Oct 26th I am throwing a little closing event at my art show at The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, CA - if you would like to come (we have space for about 30 people) then please reply here and just let me know you are in and I’ll have them reserve your name and then Ill see you there!

I have 4 pieces left from this show that are available and if you are interested then please reach out! Would love for them to find a home!