I went out painting early this Monday morning. I was down near the lake where all the beautiful fields catch the light perfectly in the mornings. These sunflowers caught my eye, and I had to paint them into my composition–there were plenty of beautiful things to paint around there, but these just seemed cheerful to me.

“No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.’ ”

—Thomas S. Monson

<<It's always bitter-sweet selling my originals. It's so cliché to say that I put my heart and soul into a piece, but it couldn't be more true. After spending so much time with an idea and gaining so much inspiration, upon completion of the piece I feel a great connection to it. It is a visual display of the workings of my mind, my passions, hope, fears, work, and love all sitting upon one canvas. My signature in the corner, always my last mark, is my way of writing on the canvas, "Here it is, this is everything I have to offer this work. My thoughts are complete. This is the end to a work of inspiration, and the beginning to a new." 

<<Watching the piece go is like sharing a part of myself with the client. So is that hard? Is that bitter? Yes and no, it is bitter-sweet. The warm thank you's from my current clients, previous client, and clients from years ago, and their sincere love for the painting makes the whole process worth every moment of it all. I couldn't be happier to share a little insight of me with them. I know the paintings must go, and if I did keep every one of them, I wouldn't be happy. I make art solely for the purpose of sharing how I feel with others. Sharing the small beautiful moments I see in each day. So there it is, and I'll say it again without the cliché, my heart and soul goes into my work.