I created Whispers of Stone after a quiet walk through Snow Canyon, where the white rock formations rise like ancient sentinels holding stories in their silence. There is something about that place that makes me feel small in the best way. Not insignificant, but softened. Held. Like I can finally let go of the weight I’ve been carrying and just listen.

This painting came from that stillness. From the feeling of being surrounded by white stone and wind, with no pressure to be anything other than present. The colors are soft and subtle, like the desert itself: beige, sage, ivory, and hints of warm gold that catch the light in quiet moments. I used preserved cactus flowers, cholla wood, selenite, and quartz crystal points to bring the desert’s sacred energy into the piece. These aren’t just materials I use because they’re beautiful. They mean something to me. Cholla wood feels like a spine, or a ribcage, a structure that holds. Quartz brings clarity and helps amplify what’s already inside. Selenite is one of my favorites. It purifies, clears, and connects. It’s like light in mineral form.

This piece speaks to the parts of us that we’ve silenced just to survive. The parts we pushed down so we could keep moving, keep functioning, keep showing up. But in quiet places, like the canyon or the studio or even inside ourselves, those parts begin to stir. They start to rise again. This painting is for that moment. The one where something long buried finally feels safe enough to surface.

There’s breath in this painting. You can feel it if you sit with it. It’s not loud or dramatic. It’s steady and true. Like the breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Like the one you finally let go.

This is a piece for anyone who needs permission to soften. To remember. To come home to the version of themselves they had to tuck away for safekeeping. Whispers of Stone is a quiet invitation to return to that sacred place inside, where beauty is not loud and strength is not forceful. Where the most tender parts of you are still here, waiting to be seen.

Acrylic on Canvas

30”x48”

Clear Quartz, White Sand, Cholla Wood, Selenite, Cactus flowers and local greenery