The world needs your gift as much as you need to bestow it. May Sargon warns us that “ the gift turned inward, unable to be given, becomes a heavy burden, even sometimes a kind of poison. It is as though the flow of life were backed up.”

My teacher Crystal Marie said that, for the artist not to create, or not to be able to create, it is a kind of death.

So to celebrate my return to art in a more intentional direction in 2020, I offer you my new series. The theme is Spirit Trees : I have been drawn to the healing power of trees since quarantine started in March, and they have emerged as my salvation and refuge since the. I live a stone’s throw away from San Diego’s jewel, Balboa Park, where I go daily to walk, hike, do yoga, read, meditate and even use as an “office” and classroom sometimes.

Never before have I been so drawn to trees, and while I have always wanted to spend time in the park I was always too ” busy” and caught up in a myriad préoccupations with no time to sit in nature. I am thankful that one of the silver linings of this year has been reconnecting to Mother Earth and her beautiful trees.

Trees: they are our brothers and sisters, giving love and life unconditionally; each with their unique personality and look, just like human beings.

In Balboa Park i have my two favorite meditation trees, where a squirrel always likes to hang out and we have become friends. One of these trees is pictured in the watercolor above. I have also been looking at and taking photos of trees –aiming to combine spirituality, atmosphere and nature.

It is no wonder that the Buddha meditated under a Bodhi tree- where he found enlightenment. Krishna is said to have given the Gita sermon under a Banyan tree.

It is in this spirit that I have started my tree series in October. Enjoy.