Combining the 10 of wands and the 9 of cups, I turn the weight that I carry into overflowing abundance. Even though sometimes I feel like I’m being crushed under the weight of the world and of my mind, I know there is beauty in it. Even when I lose sight of it, I know the light won’t be gone forever, sewing season will come again, and I persist. When I persist and surrender to the flow, light pours from within, filling not just my cup but the cups of everyone around me.
The only consistent thing in this universe is that everything is constantly changing. No matter the highs and lows, the cycles keep turning and clinging to a state, and hoping it becomes static will only lead to stagnation and suffering. Unexpected good things happen who feed the karma wheel with love. And if you are in a state of experiencing pain, know that there is still a time beyond this pain.
Shadow side: you may be trying to break toxic personal or generational cycles you don’t feel you’re making much headway on. Things are moving even when they feel like they’re not. This, too, shall pass, and while patience may be hard to find, hold onto hope.
Darkness follows wherever it walks.
A shadow that dwells,
And tendrils that talk
Here in the mind,
Reality is fragile,
And some corners are…unkind
It comes in dreams,
When I stray to far
Towards tears and seams.
And in nightmares, too,
That get too dark,
And I lose the light of the moon.
Though in my dreams it haunts me,
I can’t help but think
That maybe it’s Friendly
One with the flow, the Earth sits at her fingertips. She walks between worlds with ease. She is powerful, merciful, and gentle by choice. She allows her love to flow freely while replenishing herself from roots spread far and wide. She is wise and balanced and capable of infinite compassion. You are either in or very close to this final phase of this journey. Celebrate, you've earned it. But be ready, for another journey awaits.
A time for self-reflection. Test the trueness of your heart. What is the difference between how you see yourself and your ideal self? Is there one? Self-acceptance is one of the hardest challenges of being in a meat suit. It's so easy to be critical of ourselves when there's someone we want to be... but reminding ourselves that that person is nothing but a mirage, a glowing ghost on a pedestal that will forever be out of reach. This becomes a mask that is what we project onto others. What are ways we project an ideal self to hide what we're truly feeling? Do we do that to hide it from ourselves too? This card beckons you to face yourself and how formative life experiences manifest in your behaviors and impulsive thoughts. Come back to Earth’s surface, but look at it from a cosmic perspective.Evaluate what is working for your growth, feel the feels, and remember to love yourself. Let go of the things that won’t matter when you reach your final destination.
Here lies the time for whimsy and fun! Time to indulge in child-like fun and practice exploring the world as if you were just dropped here for the first time! Dream big and loud! Experiment and make mistakes, explore and allow yourself to suspend worries and do an activity that allows you to be in the present.
The fool heres a rumble in a cave and what sounded like people suffering and cautiously stepped into the mouth. She stopped and heard a low laugh echoing off the walls. Fear rose within her as well as unexplained feelings of frustration in all the ways she thought she was failing, all the temptations that have brought her off her path. "Come closer," the almost demonic voice had a seductive feeling that compelled her to draw closer. She recoiled as her eyes adjusted an obvious look of disgust and fear washed over her face, "Do not look at me with such disdain! Those laying here in chains could leave if they did not enslave themselves with shallow desires and comforts!" The figure turned to the mountains, "look at the ants on the peaks, do you think they would have reached the summits of their potential without their desire, their lust and greed and pride, to do so?"
Many different paths beckon one to sway one way or the other, often leading to extremes and losing our vision. To consider all perspectives and find the path down the center is to create inner peace. It may be a longer route, but the path is even and you can still see both sides.
24x36”
Mischtechnik on Canvas
She clings to her bones of old. It's been so long since her skin has felt the warmth of the summer sun, yet she clings to the decay of what used to bring her so much joy. It's been so long in this corrupted form that she's forgotten what its like to be herself. One dawn she sees the morning light dancing on the water accompanied by the faint smell of a warm summer day, and she finally recognizes the reality of her decayed world. Though change was scary, she burst from her shell into a new, fuller, and more realized version of herself.
Shadow side: Change is scary, but necessary. Sometimes it's as hard and scary as death, itself. Resisting the change will only bring more pain as the vines wrap around you and the bugs make a home in your head. The dawn is here. It is time to shed the things we need go let go of in order to find our power again.
The Hermit has long wandered the mountain tops for the secrets of the soul, the answers of the universe. They wore their invisibility cloak, hoping to strip their image from their identity in search of the True Self. Along their journey of self-discovery, in the darkest night among some of the highest peaks, an epiphany pours from their heart, a beacon of the brightest light that illuminates the dark around them and reminds them of their place in the universe. In this moment of illuminated clarity, they see the path ahead.
Shadow side: Isolation can be a great method of discovery, but its easy to get lost in the dark if we lack perspective, which is best sought from trustworthy people. Sometimes its our partners, or our friends, or a therapist.
24x36”
Mischtechnik on Canvas
The Emperor sees the path ahead and follows it with vigorous persistence. He treads lightly and firmly in the world around him, being a steward of a thriving environment, both within his own kingdom and the world around him. He is a symbol of piece in chaotic times and uses his power carefully and decisively, knowing what is within his control and what is not. He asks you how you can stand firmly in yourself while still being a source for support for those around you.
Shadow side: The young, starry-eyed emperor holds his empire in his hands. If he grips too tightly, he will crush it, too loosely, and it will slip through his fingers like sand. Power and standing, being financial, social, or otherwise, requires immense understanding of how to keep ourselves in check and not be manipulated by others with their own agendas.
The High Priestess welcomes you to your journey. She tells you that you are always connected to generations of ancestors since the dawn of life. You are made of stardust and have the ability to manifest your dreams. Tap into your intuition, abandon your fears. Where does the flow pull you when you shut out all the outer chatter and tap into your center?
Shadow side: Beware of being unquestioningly drawn to light like a moth to a flame. Sometimes it can be easy to confuse the voice of our fears or short term desires for the voice of our intuition. To avoid this, ask yourself where these voices stem from, and use your discernment to decide if those motives are where your heart truly lies.
24x36”
Oil on Canvas
The Empress understands how to mix the magical with the practical. With the help of the creative forces of the universe, she uses her passion and the tools at hand to build the world she wishes to see. She beckons you to mix the practical with the magical, for you are more skilled than you might give yourself credit for. Tap into your emotional center and passion, don't be afraid to let your heart shine and pour everything you can into it.
Shadow side: Beware of pouring yourself empty for something that isn't refilling your cup. Starving yourself figuratively or literally for anything is unsustainable and even dangerous. Show the world your heart but still keep it protected.
What if our demons aren’t enemies?
What if they are protectors, creators?
What if they are healers?
What if they’re musicians in a band,
playing the soundtrack for our life?
They only react to what you see,
what you feel, and what you dream.
What if they were forced to play
things they didn’t like?
They tried to yell
they tried to fight
and then they tried to hide.
It wasn’t your fault, how you grew
the voices put into your head
shame spreads in the mind,
it kills them inside,
and makes you wish you were dead.
But what if we’re gentle and ask them their needs?
What if we held out our hand?
we might actually find
that if we are kind
our demons are helpers instead.
48x24”
Acrylic on Canvas
2022
Available
Inspired by many different Appalachian/West Virginia landscapes and the emotions I feel when experiencing their beauty. As the state of the Mountain Mamas, you can look at many hills and mountains and see her stretched along the horizon. The flowers are typical for that time of the summer, with echinacea, yellow coneflower, mullein, milkweed, wild roses, cardinal flower, jewelweed, and goldenrod.
11x14”
Acrylic on Canvas
2023
Available
It is a piece about using art to process inner demons and how it gives us a safe space to freely express the sides of ourselves that we try to hide away. When you're a sensitive neurodivergent blob masquerading as a hyper-independent impenetrable chaos dragon, it's impossible not to take on extra weight, even if it's the mask you wear getting heavier and heavier.
This past year I found myself questioning all of my behaviors and beliefs. I questioned everything I knew about my identity, trying to sort out what is Mask and what is me. I noticed that after I started the unmasking journey, little …quirks… bubble back up to the surface that I forgot were there.
Art gave me the space to be able to explore all of this territory as if it were new, as if I'm getting to know myself again for the first time.
This process of shadow work taught me to remember to call myself into question and process behaviors, trauma responses, and social conditioning that don't resonate with me and no longer serve a purpose for me to be a functioning human, and rebuild the neural pathways to heal instead of hide.
It reminded me to exorcise regularly.
2022
This small print is perfect for the person who collects a lot of art or is on the move <3 matted and packaged for the safety of the print, sure to bring you joy for a long time to come!
11x14”
Acrylic on Canvas
2022
Available
The mask gets thick, and I fill the cracks with mud until I can’t recognize myself. I’m spiky, but the spikes are pointed in, and every time I move, they poke in further. Many of the things that I thought were shining facets of my soul were actually prismatic fractures of shattered glass.
Struggling with chronic mental health problems is absolutely exhausting. It’s been a fight ever since I was a kid to not succumb to my darkest thoughts, and the idea that this will continue on for as long as I inhabit this body gets so daunting and exhausting that sometimes I wonder how I’m gonna make it and find any kind of lasting tranquility or healing in it…
On the flip side… I feel like my experiences in shadow inform my understanding of the beauty of light and allow me to feel it in a way that a lot of people struggle to, and that’s the beauty I try to capture in my art… those moments of shining clarity are the ones that I continue dredging through the mud for… I guess they do say beauty hurts, huh?
2022
16x20”
Available
What was once a raging bull,
destructive and strong,
now finds peace in the rhythm,
playing cello all night long.
Painted at a Bella’s Bartok show 2023
48x36”
Acrylic on Canvas
2023
Available
He sat among the flowers and faeries
After a day of talking to trees
From darkness, he learned to see beauty
and is now a source of peace.
Energy grows in his bones
and a sound comes from his bow.
He draws it back
In time, on track
Like breathing, he plays in flow.
He plays his tunes that echo through the hollers
and the hollers always sing back.
The mist shines gold in the setting sun
Mountain’s glow can’t be matched
Though the creature was created through violence
The war has long been over
So now he wants to walk the mountains,
protecting the trees and waters.
You’ll hear him in these ancient hills
in the crickets and the frogs
you’ll hear it come from cracks in rocks
and under fallen logs.
The faeries dance in the day’s last light
and he plays his last little tune
the trees start to shine
like the stars in the sky
under the rising moon.
Painted from a view of Camp Creek State Park in southern West Virginia after a week of rain.
16x20”
Acrylic on Canvas
2023
Available
What a special energy in this city.
Spanish moss and ferns hung from the tree,
branches spreading as wide as can be.
This tree has stories for centuries,
and if you listen, you can hear her speak
Children played around her roots that reached,
and in her low-hanging leaves.
I climbed her branches
So I could see
If I could feel her energy.
Painted while busking on Jackson Square, February 2023
This small print is perfect for the person who collects a lot of art or is on the move <3 matted and packaged for the safety of the print, sure to bring you joy for a long time to come!
