 Fearless Abstract Painting at Ogden Contemporary Arts.
Grateful for the chance to share the work and meet this community on the canvas.  Equilibrium
mixed media on canvas, 40” × 30” Painting used to be the place I went when life would not hold still. Once it became the work itself: the income, the calendar, the public face; that refuge changed shape. This piece came out of that. Not balance as peace, but balance as weight: heavy next to light, the need to keep painting next to the need to disappear into it. The surface holds both. Nothing is settled. They just meet and stay.  My first time in Portugal was strangely nostalgic. Born in Brazil, I felt as if I were experiencing the country of my birth; so much of Brazil’s inheritance comes from Portugal.
I fell in love with the colours. The houses especially. Portugal’s pink was by far my favorite. Then the blue of the azulejos, the deep green of the doors, and those pastel-colored homes. The juxtaposition of old and new was a delight. We were there to celebrate our dear friends’ marriage. So grateful to have shared this with them. I look forward to bringing these colours into my palette.  What an honor to lead a Fearless Abstract Painting workshop in the Maven community.
Maven is a place built for people creating businesses and lives on their own terms. That spirit made our session feel immediate. These were people used to holding a great deal. For two hours, the task was simpler and harder at once: put the performance down, pick up a roller, and let the painting lead. We worked quickly. Intention first. Then color, water, texture, and the courage of not knowing what the surface would become. No one needed to be an artist. They only needed to stay with the process long enough for something honest to appear. I left grateful—for the invitation, for the community Maven created, and for the reminder that leadership and art-making ask for the same thing: presence without armor. Thank you, Maven SLC.  My first Fearless Abstract Painting workshop at the Springville Museum of Art sold out, and the day exceeded every expectation. Participants arrived with open hearts and minds. What followed was genuine learning, creative breakthroughs, and a session of fearless mark-making that made this group one to remember.
Deep thanks to the Springville Museum of Art for hosting us, and to Mirielle and Aubrey for making the day possible.  Career milestone.
Thank you to everyone who came out last night to celebrate the first reading of Fearless Artistry at the Park City Public Library. It was especially meaningful to have my mother and niece there — three generations of fearless women in one room. This was my first local author event for the book. Writing and publishing it has been a long-held dream, and I’m deeply grateful it came to life with the support of a Utah Arts & Museums career advancement grant. I know writing a book can feel intimidating — once it’s out, it’s out forever. I hope this encourages you to bring your own long-held dreams into being.  Sold out.
Fearless Abstract Painting Workshop at https://altacommunity.org/ We painted outdoors, inspired by the surrounding landscape. Thank you to everyone who showed up, and to the organizers who made the evening possible.  Padel sculpture install.
Painted on an unexpected surface for a friend’s new padel club — iron-rich Utah dirt, Great Salt Lake salt, foraged sawdust, rope, and gold, sun-baked until the cracks appeared. Grateful for the invitation to make something that carries both function and place. https://www.thehivepadel.com/  This is it.
If you’ve ever thought about painting with me, now is the time — before I step back from teaching in North America in 2027. I’ll be leading 8 Fearless Abstract Painting workshops between now and the end of the year. These are the last opportunities for a while. Painting saved my life once. It brought me back into alignment after years of living according to other people’s expectations. It remains one of the clearest ways I know to reclaim presence, power, and joy. If something in you is calling, don’t wait. 2026 Schedule August 18 – Alta Community Enrichment (Sold Out) August 20 – Park City Library (Local Author Event) August 22 – Springville Museum of Art August 26 – Maven SLC September 12 – Ogden Contemporary Arts September 17 – Red Ledges (Members only) October 24 – Make Space Kayenta December 5 – Kimball Art Center Come paint with me while you still can.  Have you ever seen a painting swim?
It began during a retreat I hosted in Costa Rica. We wrapped unprimed canvases and ran them into the ocean. The feeling was pure exhilaration — part ritual, part experiment. Later, I floated works on the Great Salt Lake. The still, mineral water and wide horizon made the canvases feel like they belonged to the landscape itself. This process came naturally. I have always painted in relationship with place — allowing environment, weather, and water to become part of the work. In Hawaii, the practice deepened. I began floating both the paintings and myself in the same water. The question arose quietly: which came first, the work or the one who makes it? We are, of course, inseparable. These paintings have now moved through ocean, lake, river, and pool — Costa Rica, Utah, Hawaii. Each body of water leaves its own trace. One day I hope to take them to the beaches of Brazil, where I was born. Until then, they keep teaching me the same lesson: let go, stay present, and allow the work to meet the world. |