every artwork is treated like a magic spell—a conjuring of more of what I want to feel and to see in this world. I meditate to achieve the desired state and maintain it while expressing the vision that comes through. for "new heart," I knew this would be more of a challenge. transcending enough trauma to be able to feel the intended state—innocent, open-hearted, and light—is not something I could do in one session of meditation. even with more time, it felt like it might be impossible, but I needed to try

the beads are a representation of consciousness, of bringing things into the light to be fully seen—and there was much to see and to feel as I went along. while stitching each bead onto this painting, I felt like I was slowly stitching together a long-neglected wound. though physically complete, this artwork remains a work in progress until I can embody it. still, it serves as a reminder of the sublime beauty in healing, in opening, in letting go

to create this piece, the coloured gradient was applied to the canvas first, and approximately 10,400 translucent white glass beads were then individually stitched into it, creating a layer that feels much like ice, snow, or frost. there’s a beautiful purity to it, and coldness

new heart. oil on canvas, with over 10,000 individually hand-stitched glass beads