Masonite

Signed on the front.

Frame not included

2022

Surrendering is the hardest thing to do. So often we are told to fight for what we want, to work hard to achieve our goals, to make goals. What happens when we surrender to fate, the powers that be, destiny? Whatever you call it, I have been exploring the practice of “giving in”. Letting life take its natural course. I found myself always chasing the rainbow. Then my whole life shifted. Suddenly, I I had no control and was spinning in circles with anxiety, fear the unknown. My mortality, my longevity, my health, my finances, my independence, my marriage, my very self; all lost to me. I lost myself in the whirlwind of chaos that encompassed every aspect of my world. I felt like a ship at sea in a huge storm knowing land was close, but I couldn't get there no matter how hard I swam. I was drowning.

It wasn’t until I let myself be swept away with the storm, not fearful of what may come, but trusting that what was happening was going to work out. Surrendering to being swept away in the current. I found myself saying, ‘trust the uncertainty, embrace the unknown’ and stating, ‘I am open to receive whatever graces come my way’.

Fighting feels instinctive, you just want to get back to the life you left, but if you stopped, took a deep breath and surrendered, trusted the change, embraced the unknown, opened yourself to seeing the opportunities that were presenting themselves, chances are you find yourself somewhere you never expected to be and possibly even better than you ever thought possible.

Sweet Surrender was painted while contemplating my journey to my current place in life and how, in my letting go and opening myself up, I accepted my fate, embraced the possibilities, and found joy and hope. My hope is that when you hold Sweet Surrender in your gaze you find what you need to surrender to the unexpected and find your joy.