A little about the beginning of Memorial Paintings...
I have lost loved ones, both animals and humans, to cancer, car accidents, suicide, murder, addiction, and other diseases. I am all too familiar with the struggle of loss. You are not alone.
I have lost loved ones, both animals and humans, to cancer, car accidents, suicide, murder, addiction, and other diseases. I am all too familiar with the struggle of loss. You are not alone.
My most significant loss was when my mother died after a twelve year battle with Breast Cancer. I was overwhelmed with paralyzing grief, and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after having witnessed the deformation of her body and her terrifyingly painful death firsthand. I found that the only effective way to soothe the extensive trauma was through painting about her stories, passions, dreams, personality, and most of all, the complexity of our relationship.
A great day with Mom
I eventually began to share my practice of utilizing art as a way to memorialize and celebrate my losses and triumphs. As a professional artist and a spirit worker with extensive experience holding space for people’s biggest thoughts and feelings, I found this work of inviting people to share about a loved one and/or a loss then seeing what they shared transformed into meaningful symbols in paint seemed to help people process, find closures, ignite reverence and experience greater ease around the often intense experience of grief and loss. So, I kept doing this and offering it to others.
Celebration Paintings came about in response to my asking why humans wait to celebrate themselves and their loved one’s life story and personality until after they have passed on. I decided if I am to honor the death and grief process, I feel it makes sense to give equal attention to celebrating life and love while we are still embodied and able to enjoy being human. I feel this is what our ancestors would ask of us and I do my best to honor their struggle to survive through my work.
As I have continued to learn more about grief, I‘ve spent a great deal of time considering how I want to be remembered when I lay my body down.
Without a doubt, I want my loved ones to focus on memorializing my unique personality and the beauty of the life I lived so that they might carry on the helpful aspects of my life, work and spirit in their own way.
Over the years, I've asked many people about this, and found that they all felt the same way. I believe animals, if they could speak to us in words, would also want us to be at peace through enjoying the memories of their playfulness and love.
My Memorial and Celebration Paintings are my way of helping others to continue to focus on what was and is most helpful and meaningful about their loved one and themselves too. I hope I might have the opportunity to share this practice with you.
For more info about my life’s work visit: www.patreon.com/gotiny
Without a doubt, I want my loved ones to focus on memorializing my unique personality and the beauty of the life I lived so that they might carry on the helpful aspects of my life, work and spirit in their own way.
Over the years, I've asked many people about this, and found that they all felt the same way. I believe animals, if they could speak to us in words, would also want us to be at peace through enjoying the memories of their playfulness and love.
My Memorial and Celebration Paintings are my way of helping others to continue to focus on what was and is most helpful and meaningful about their loved one and themselves too. I hope I might have the opportunity to share this practice with you.
For more info about my life’s work visit: www.patreon.com/gotiny
