Fabric of Fate

Gouache and Ink on Paper

October 2024

In 2024 I had the absolute privilege of joining Sophie McPike on a week-long art retreat in Ireland. Sophie is one of my favorite artists and I particularly love her ability to capture joy and whimsy in everything she creates. I learned so much from her throughout that experience and it re-solidified my ever-long journey of trying to hold onto my own love of the world and of humanity. Most of the trip was practicing urban sketching and en plein air landscapes, but when I got home I knew I wanted to do a bigger more involved piece that captured the feeling I had throughout the trip. What was the feeling anyway? What is the right string of words to describe how overwhelming it can be to stand among mountains and feel the might, power, and beauty of the natural world embracing you? Truly I felt held that week, held by the intensity of Ireland’s beauty, held by the countless new friends I made, held by Sophie and her gentle way of inspiring and instructing all of us throughout the trip.

So I present to you, the Fabric of Fate, a mixed media piece about the feeling peace found from being in nature when the world is so scary. How beautiful and imposing our planet is. Inspired by Guatemalan textile glyphs, the rolling hills of ireland, and my favorite subject, the colorful cloudy skies that paint the horizon everyday.