The Smoke

Smoke, created from extinguished flame, carries remnants of light, of life. Smoke is the lingering connection between the living and the dead, between the past and the present, between the tangible and the elusive. Smoke is ethereal- delicate and other worldly.

Watching smoke, studying smoke, I am mesmerized. It pulls me into its fragile yet compelling grasp and guides me away from convention, from our limiting reality, into a space where everything is possible.

Leonardo’s comments on darkness and light reflect my artistic transition to exclusively study and create images in smoke. In an academic setting, I teach different styles and encourage exploration. I want artists to develop the skills that enable them to present and share how they see the world, how they feel. Personally, about six years ago, I began to concentrate on the beauty of the image and the hidden fragility of a concrete shape, rather than the colors of an object. Starting with a black canvas, I honor nature’s darkness and light’s significance in exposing truth. Painting smoke images builds a connection from the artist and the viewer to another world, another life.

Some people close to me say they have seen the soul leave a loved one’s body, through the mouth, at the time of passing. Mimicking smoke, the delicate, yet strong and powerful, soul drifts through the air toward the heavens. Like this soul floating toward eternity, we do not know when a smoke trail will end. I hope that my art helps the viewer to connect with the delicate, yet strong and powerful, world we cannot see.