Falling Up is a deeply personal painting that I recently created to "close the loop" on a period of intense transitions and upheaval in my life. A few years ago I painted a kingfisher diving in to the depths to acknowledge that I was in dark, uncharted territory. Falling Up is my response to that--having completed that portion of my journey, and I'm bursting up into the light again. It is triumphant and joyous, and brought me much-needed closure.

Painted in vivid colors and dynamic motion, this kingfisher is launching skyward, flinging water from its wings in a cascade of droplets. As the last step of the creation process, I carefully added resin in key spots over the water and flying drops, to create a subtle and effective touch of sheen and dimension.