When words were like magic

When Words Were Like Magic is a painting inspired by a memory of an alpine lake in the Cascades. In moments such as these, I think of the people who have come to this particular spot, my thoughts cycling backwards past the occupation by European settlers, through the history and prehistory of the first people of this land, as I try to grasp the place beyond a human perception of time. I consider the rocks as witness, pieces of the mountain, yet separate, and so, perhaps, more empathetic to the contemporary person's struggle to remember their connection to the land. –Artist statement