Oil on panel

Value studies are something I do a lot in my art. In art terms, value is essentially how light or dark something is. If you can get the values correct, you can have a blast with the color. Color seduces and confuses us, so a value study keeps you on track.

As I wrap up my month of pink paintings for breast cancer Awareness, I think about how cancer can serve as a value study for our lives. The diagnosis comes and suddenly what is important to you or not important seems much more clear. I think that is one of the blessings of cancer. Sometimes it allows people to not sweat the small stuff and to focus on what really matters to them.

Please enjoy a celebration of pink paintings this month, in honor of breast cancer awareness. I paint for my friends and family who have fought the good fight against cancer, for their families, and for all caregivers who help along with the journey toward a healthy self (body, soul, and spirit). In my strokes of pink, are prayers of strength and healing.