This has been the Year of Transition, 2022....downsizing from our home in the NC mountains; saying farewell to dear friends and comfortable surroundings; relocating to my hometown (now the Big City of Charlotte, NC); living in a hotel for four months while awaiting the completion of our new unit in a Continuing Care Retirement Community; meeting our neighbors and making new friends; getting established in my art studio at Dilworth Artisan Station in South End.

This piece went through similar 'downsizing/relocation/reconstruction/transitioning.' It was one of the ways I purposed to stay calm, grounded, and connected while I figured out how to navigate all the changes in my life. In my art therapy style of processing both mental and emotional thoughts and feelings, this piece went through several stages – the good, bad and ugly parts of a painting transitioned into something pleasing that I could call finished or resolved. Many layers starting with graphite markings to activate the canvas, more layers of paint, swipes of fluorescent pinks and greens, dark lines and shapes being mostly covered over (the term is 'veiling') and peeking through subsequent layers - all culminating in the final rendition.