Beginning Again: Returning to the Studio After Loss

As I walked into my studio this morning, I experienced a sense of newness and wonder after a lengthy absence of creating and making art.

This past year has been met with fear, grief and immense heartache. Caring for and losing someone we love is something we all experience in our lifetime. My sweet mother passed away from cancer in May and I am feeling all of the emotions that come with losing a parent. A day does not go by without a memory of her dropping into my heart. Her words of wisdom and playful humor drift in each day while chatting with family or friends, on long walks with my pups, folding laundry and always when I’m in the kitchen preparing a meal or making cookies. She is with me, in my heart, cheering me on and encouraging me to do all the things, as only a mother can do. These past few weeks I have felt her nudging me to get back at it and step into my studio and begin again. I hear her words she whispered back in April, to paint in colors other than blue, to paint from the heart, stay present and to enjoy the gifts life gives us.

Xx, Sonya