Installation at the Dentist Office in the Time of COVID

I waited in my car until the patient before me left and they had cleaned up and only then did they call me in. I was a little anxious, but the care my dentist and his staff showed calmed me. I noticed new glass walls, masks and face shields, new rules about what I could do ( gargle with peroxide, clean my teeth), and could not do ( brush—too much flying salvia). I realized that even though we were taking precautions, these people were putting themselves at risk to help me. So toward the end of my visit, when they asked me if I would show my paintings in their hall gallery, I didn’t hesitate. I said yes. 

I always hope that people will feel good around my paintings. Not the good expressed as, "I see what I like, expect and feel comfortable with,” but the good that is curious, free, surprised, and open to all the many ups and downs of life.  Although my goal in painting is not to express myself,  everything I am is present in each painting: my daily meditation, the love I feel in my relationships, the disappointments, nine hours of sleeping and dreaming, and the restless nights full of night thoughts. It’s all there. Paintings are not just to be seen but to be felt. That is why the real object is so much more than a print or a photo online. 

When Ingrid, who had arranged the installation came into the hall after we finished installing, she let out a huge breath and her eyes glistened. “Ahh,” she said, "I feel peace.”