I was at a gallery opening recently. A sweet, little (older) German woman wanted to explain her painting to me. Due to our unfortunate language barrier, she grabbed a friend to translate the story behind the abstract castle and landscape she had painted. Most importantly, she wanted me to know that the painting was all from her mind. That’s it. It came from HER mind (she pointed to her head) and she was super proud of that (she was adorable, by the way).

I am often asked, how did you think of that? Usually, something tips me off to a new idea. For this series, it was a book that my dad recently sent me, called “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms,” which turned out to be a really great book. The subtitle, “52 Companions for your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul,” connects each saint with one of these aspects of our being.

So, I painted a series of the four things we need to personally nourish and cherish to feel whole: Body. Mind. Heart. Spirit. My initial idea is that these paintings would all resemble stained glass windows like the ones I admire in cathedrals across Europe. Not just the traditional stained glass, but also the contemporary stained glass of modern artists that are sprinkled among century-old churches (think Gaudi in Barcelona, Mucha in Prague, and Chagall in Reims, just to name a few).

I started simply with Spirit, collaging a candle in a distant landscape, adding a cross and then the dove, as a sign of peace and Spirit. Do you see them all? Our spirits are all different and must be represented as such. Some people are most spiritual while simply in nature. Others find their spirit in organized faith. Yet another lights a candle and meditates.  All are positive and good.

The heart was next. The heart resembles a window in a dark room.  The window was created with scripture pages and from prayer cards that I have been collecting over the years. A landscape of rolling hills sits outside the window. My idea for this piece? Get out of the darkness. Open your heart and share it with others. In a world of misunderstanding and hatred, our hearts should seek to love outside of ourselves and our comfort zones.

Next was the body. The body is organic, warm, loving, and comforting. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I used energized colors to emphasize the warmth and necessity of an embrace.  Scripture regarding the body is collaged into the background to remind us that, from the beginning, our bodies are gifts.

Finally, the mind. The mind is a beautiful, yet, complicated and exhausting place. I thought of the many things we pack into our minds on a daily basis. Technology, music, arts, reading, games, work, travel, STEM, commitments overload us. I placed this mind on an island to remind us to give our hard-working minds a vacation from time to time!

So, friends, remember (and I need the reminder, as well)… Nourish. Cherish.

Body. Mind. Heart. Spirit. Each 30 cm x 60 cm (11.5 ” x 23.5″).  Mixed media on canvas.