In 1987, I stepped outside the boundaries of North America for the first time in my life. This was the beginning of my exploration of Southeast Asia. My contact with Javanese, Balinese, and Tana Torajans (from Sulawesi) would fertilize the seeds of my spiritual growth. For the next decade, I would struggle to find a balance between my Western heritage and the beautiful, exotic, deeply spiritual world I found on the other side of the globe.
In the center of the painting, I lie, naked and vulnerable. The turbulence of my inner soul is depicted by the fiery creatures dancing below. Emerging from my body, my newly awakened soul reaches upward in the form of a vibrant plant.
© 1997
