Story Behind the Picture: We Fly

Last night my computer died: literally crashed, burned, and lay in a pile of fragmented-hard-drive-rubble on my desk. The last back-up was four weeks ago, but as you all know, I create a lot of new work in the span of one month. I was particularly heartbroken because I thought this little collage that I created six days ago had been lost forever. Imagine my dance of delight when I realized I still had a copy that I emailed to my dear friends for consideration in their new nursery (is there any higher compliment than to have a friend choose your artwork for their home, especially for their new baby?).

I still haven't decided if the children have captured and are pulling the hot air balloon toward them, or if they are flying it like a kite...the details don't matter as much as the inspiration: don't let a tiny thing like reality get in the way of your dreams. Why settle for a little red balloon when you could capture and fly an aeronautical adventuring machine? Go and fly amidst the twinkling lights and enjoy every moment.

Story Behind the Picture: Flying in the Stars

Sometimes the most beautiful pictures are the ones we dream in our minds. I created "Flying in the Stars" on a particularly dreary and cold winter day after the boys and I spent the morning snuggled under a quilt, reading Phillip Pullman's "The Golden Compass." One of the characters is an aeronautical explorer who flies his hot air balloon into fantastic adventure, and Pullman's vivid words carried me into a world where we too could soar amid the clouds and stars. Later that afternoon, as the boys napped peacefully in their rooms, I started combing through my ten-thousand image library until I found the pieces to layer together in this collage. It's my hope that when you see this piece, you escape for a moment from the traffic and telephones and to-do lists. Let's go flying in the stars together.