‘Sunshine Like You’ (2021), 94.1cm x 94.1cm /36”x 36” acrylic on canvas, oil pastel, pencil, gloss medium. Tasmanian oak frame.

This painting is a celebration of kindred spirits. When I’m not painting, I run a small business where I get to meet a lot of people, mostly newcomers to the area. About a year ago, I worked with one woman whose unusual circumstances left her needing a friend. I happily invited her to some social events. We quickly discovered an enduring kindred connection, making each other laugh and cry with ease and celebrating important milestones in each other’s journeys. The power of both revealing your soul and being truly seen by another is as strong as the sun and I am once again grateful to the universe for the reminder that it is in giving ourselves that we receive the greatest blessings.