On another website that I often read, the question was asked… “When did you forget how to draw? – How can we reconnect with our playful, creative, expressive element of our humanity?” I stopped actually drawing twenty years ago, when I got married. Life changes and new priorities caused me to leave behind a very creative gift that God built into my being. We often put pressure on ourselves, or live up to outside pressures to conform to standards that are unnatural for us, in order to be “accepted” in society… in our social circles… in our families… in our church. I went through a time of self-discovery about 6 or 7 years ago when I was struggling in my marriage and church and business. Life was full of stress and I felt like I was bending in ways that I was never meant to bend. Being the flexible person that I am, I stayed bent up for a long time. Then… I began to draw again – and paint. I started dreaming what being an artist would look like. I began to be around people that were like me… creative ones with pent up desires to explore the universe of non-conformity. As an artist, I can get my innerlife out on a piece of canvas for others to absorb… and to reflect on. There is a natural God-given ability in us all to be creative and to draw outside of the lines that society has drawn around us. I want to dream the Dream and draw… and paint… and sculpt these dreams to share with others. I have come to realize that the final piece of work is not the purpose of the art… for me, it is the process of creating that has the most affect on me and my thinking and even my being. A final painting is a recording of the process. It reminds me that we are all in process. When a painting is done, then it takes on a life of its own, beyond the process. It is able to speak directly with others in a different language than I could ever speak in. Having started drawing and painting again has been life changing for me and my family. Now, I want to help others find the artist with-in and remember how to draw again.

“There is beauty in everything… you just have to find it” ~Geo. Gallo