Be Still my Heart

Dimensions: 20 x 24 x 1.5
Inspiration: Ever walked in the woods at night by yourself? The road was blocked so into the woods ... as I walked I realized how noisy the forest was. Every crack, every creek, every snap, every flutter, every wisp of wind, hoot of an owl, drop of a leaf, scamper of tiny feet was amplified to orchestral heights. It was music to my ears.

Dimensions: 30 x 60 x 2
Inspiration: The warm glow of a friendship that is built of trust, laughter, secrets and shared language. Where two souls understand each other with just their eyes and support each other with unwavering love. I want to be by your side through all the funny moments, the hardships, and even in the comfort of silence. I know I will never be lonely with you as my bestie.

Dimensions: 4.5 x 13 x 16
Inspiration: "Dance me to the End of Love" ... The Jews, for whom this song was written, have experienced attempted extermination in the form of the holocaust and genocide, so too have the First Nations of North America experienced this same hatred and envy. This song stirs emotion of shared destinies, though worlds apart; it is relevant to the plight of First Nations in Canada, for over 100 years; one of the many allies of North American Indians are the Jewish Nation. We share this song.......................... ..........Definition: Envy is a painful or resentful awareness of another person's advantage or possession, and the desire to have it for oneself.

Dimensions: 20 x 18 x 1
Inspiration: "Fall Petals", written by Dani Shea when she was a middle school student at Spencer Middle School, has been performed both as a song and a poem. When I recited “Fall Petals” on an anniversary of Dani’s death, the image depicted in the artwork came strongly to my mind. However, it was a few years before I was able to be at an emotional state where I could create the piece. The textile work, entitled “Evelyn-Prija” (my daughter’s middle name), is a celebration of youth and vivaciousness. The girl dances beneath the pomegranate tree, in the drifts of jewelled leaves, oblivious to all else. The white around her ties in with the “fields of snow”. I revisit the image of fall petals drifting around my daughter, much as the speaker in the poem does. "Evelyn-Prija" is inspired by my daughter's poem about love, longing, and the power of remembrance. "Fall Petals" Fall petals drift around me. Not a soul here yet you surround me As the street lights flash their colours, I know you are here. As the sky turns to grey and darkness to light I can feel you near. Two paths, both leading to infinity Yet you are all I see. As the fall petals fall around me I can feel you near. I am older now, I still dream of you, in my hometown even though I’m far away. Fall petals still come my way. They travel through fields of snow Just to tell me all I know. Fall petals drift around me.

Dimensions: 24 x 36 x 1.5
Inspiration: After experiencing personal trauma, what followed was confusion, overwhelm, anxiety and a deep longing to understand the depths and complexity of the situation. In the months following, it often seemed impossible to navigate the path forward that was littered with insurmountable obstacles and so much unknowing. I had read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez some years ago, and had recently re-read it where this line from the story resonated deeply with my own life.

Dimensions: 16 x 24 x 1.5
Inspiration: There's a melancholic beauty to this scene: the weight of weariness, but also of quiet resolve.

Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 0.75
Inspiration: I wanted to do this portrait of a mysterious woman I got to know in a restaurant in Beijing. She embodies a lot of feelings and experiences in contemplating her image. Her openness yet reserve is appealing to me and invites memories of living in China. I feel she is reciting Emily Dickinson’s poem, I am Nobody, to us, the viewers.

Dimensions: 12 x 36 x 1.5
Inspiration: This particular piece held a certain mystique, a beauty that seemed to transcend words. It felt like a memory not entirely my own, yet nestled deeply within my heart. For a time, it remained nameless, until a dear friend of mine stumbled upon it. She suggested "What's Left Behind," and I was intrigued. When I asked her about the choice, she shared a tender reflection. She spoke of her time in Victoria, the beaches, the ocean scent, the salty air, the breathtaking scenery, and the profound sense of peace it brought her. Though she's since moved away, the painting evoked those cherished memories, reminding her of leaving everything behind, encapsulated by the island of trees. It felt like a heartfelt christening, and thus, the piece found its name.

Dimensions: 31 x 26.5 x 1.5
Inspiration: My image for this poem depicts the longing of a love long past and the pull of a new love, and the inability to attain either. Using a window as a metaphor that prevents forward motion, and a figure, ambiguous in blurred motion turning the the shadowy past, the viewer is left wondering if the tension between the two worlds of past and future will ever be resolved.

Dimensions: 24 x 24
Inspiration: My name, "Alannah", actually means "mountain meadow of wild flowers". I am often drawn to finding the mountain meadow in my art. These spaces in the world are simply magical and poetic to me and I love to immerse myself in describing this beauty through art materials.

Dimensions: 14 x 17 x 1.5
Inspiration: The posture of the impalas suggests two young lovers, possibly on a first "date" and looks to be a tender encounter.

Dimensions: 4 x 8 x 10
Inspiration: I love the process of creating something unique from wood that otherwise would feed a fire, exposing the beauty hidden beneath the bark, knowing that the less perfect wood makes the most exquisite vessels. Hesse describes this well. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death wound to the sun one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk, in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. By Herman Hesse

Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: My piece is about grief, as symbolized by the empty chair in dull colours. Outside of the “room” with the empty chair, life goes on for everyone else, symbolized by brightly coloured shapes on a rich gold background.

Dimensions: 18 x 36 x 2
Inspiration: Loving the photographs from space telescopes, and viewable on my computer was so inspiring. I wanted to come up with my own version of what this small part of the universe might look like from a different perspective.

Dimensions: 14 x 19 x 16
Inspiration: The Rubaiyat dates to the 12th Century, composed by Omar Kyyam, a Persian scholar and scientist. Omar was something of a cynic about philosophy, and dedicated his Rubaiyat to the beauty of nature, women and the consumption of wine. There are about 500 quatrains (a four line verse) in The Rubaiyat, two of which are represented by "Hearts Take Flight". Hearts literally take a flight of fancy from a book of translations by Edward Fitzgerald. I use the word translations loosely, in reality he is paraphrasing Omar Kyyam to make the first, second and fourth lines of each verse rhyme.

Dimensions: 18 x 24
Inspiration: The ocean has held me in its spell since I moved to the Pacific Coast 17 years ago. I feel that it is where I've always been meant to live. Mary Oliver's poem "Ocean" resonates with me when she says "I will live nowhere except here, by Ocean, trusting equally in all the blast and welcome of her sorrowless, salt self. The photo inspiration for this painting came from the north coast of Vancouver Island, a rugged, beautiful area. 2024 has brought many sorrows and I can appreciate Mary's description of the dusty road and acceptance as the only answer.

Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 1.5
Inspiration: This piece was inspired by a series I did based on my mother's life. In this image, based on a family photograph, I cropped the image into a very tight face focusing on the eyes . The photo was taken shortly after the birth of her first child . She and my father were great dancers and loved Glen Miller and the other Big Band orchestras and the " crooners " of the 40/50's. We ( my sisters and I ) always thought of her in songs as she loved to sing too. I wondered who she only had eyes for - her new baby or her husband.

Dimensions: 10 x 12 x 1
Inspiration: Inspiration

Dimensions: 24 x 24
Inspiration: My name, "Alannah", actually means "mountain meadow of wild flowers". I am often drawn to finding the mountain meadow in my art. These spaces in the world are simply magical and poetic to me and I love to immerse myself in describing this beauty through art materials.

Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 1.5
Inspiration: The connection is to have know the loss of a loved one, I have a deep conviction of love remaining for eternity. Also, the path represents the path of memories that have developed on this journey of love. Memories are our remaining connection with our loved one, while we are separated by death.