The Heart Is A Garden

My work explores themes of awakening to the presence of the divine and reenchantment in everyday life, and investigating the role of daily spiritual practice in well being. The oil paintings reveal inner worlds as verdant spaces in which the garden becomes a metaphor for a flourishing internal world, where one may discover the buoyancy and resilience that arises through connecting with what has sacred meaning. Themes found in the literary genre of Magic Realism also fuel my investigation in the studio. Magic Realism, which blends the magical with rational elements to create a broader understanding of reality and what’s possible beyond the physical world, serves as a vehicle to cultivate a sense of upliftment and hope in the midst of challenging times.

 

It has been well documented that we live in an era of an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages. Public health advisories have been issued regarding the current epidemic of the diseases of despair, such as addiction, depression, and suicide. My research on the topic of what supports mental and emotional health led me to the work of clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller, who has been investigating the role of spirituality in psychology through the lens of science for over thirty years. Using MRI scans in her recent studies, Miller discovered that individuals with consistent spiritual practices as part of their life have brains that are structurally more resilient to the development of depression. Being spiritually engaged, her studies have found, cultivates well being and thus protects one against the diseases of despair. My own experience with such practices has corroborated these findings.