When life gets really chaotic... and more than a bit overwhelming... sometimes you need an escape hatch, even if it's only on the page. I love letting the art take over when words fail me and feelings overpower. I head to the studio and let the colors flow and the work take its own shape. In this case, I wanted a 'door' that would open, to let me move from the chaos of my day to the peace of,...

As I watched the monk intently preparing vegetables, I was struck by how present he was to the task at hand. There was no accompanying television announcer in the background. No music played. No traffic buzzed in the distance. Only the sounds of the knife slicing through the food. I found myself entranced, and listening to hear the tonal difference between the slicing of a carrot and that of a...