Quiet Emergence , encaustic , mixed-media , 12 x 27x 8 inches ( within branch ), 2016
Photo Credit : Bob Bagley
My career as a social worker gifted me with witnessing the cathartic power of art as a restorative and empowering force , and affirmed what I have experienced deeply in my own life : immersion in my personal art-making served as a potent foundation for helping clients unlock their own creative force . For ten years I worked alongside children and adults who showed amazing courage and strength in the face of adversity . During my years as a hospice social worker , I had the privilege of being with people during tender and sacred times , and experienced the profound power of art as means for expression and comfort when there were no words . This experience , layered with other loss in my life , continues to remind me to slow down and be fully present in each day that I live .