Out of the Darkness was completed in 2006. I am writing the stories behind the paintings from a place of healing and light and hindsight. After the death of both of my parents, I journeyed further into the passion of my work. I can see that I was starting to rebuild strands of happiness through this exercise of art exploration, as represented by the ribbons of color at the front right side of the piece. The amorphous shapes to the left feel like the grief that followed me from place to place. I also see a figure trimmed in a yellow halo, moving next to another figure, barely visible, but accented in soft red. These are the images of my parents, my spirit guides, piercing through the darkness.