These paintings had been stirring around in my mind for over a year and they began as just another southern scenery series. I’ve always enjoyed painting the birds of the South and thought I would simply be expanding on that body of work with a new perspective. Even once I had the composition of each piece mapped out and ready to go, I never intended for there to be a message behind it all. Just some pretty birds in a pretty Louisiana setting…

That is, until I started painting…

I strive to not only put as much detail as I can in my art, but I also aim to capture the light. I believe that if I can get the light just right, then I have truly brought a piece to life. Once the light started to come through on these canvases, the message was finally whispered to me from God—“let the light in.”

Everyone is racing through life right now. We're finding it harder to enjoy what we have before it's on to the next best thing. Wanting more of this. Needing more of that. Always chasing something more and sprinting to the finish line of what we hope to be a life well-lived. It's too easy these days to just fly through life and lose sight of all the light slipping right past us.

This series is a representation of that experience I think all of us are seeing, if not going through ourselves. So let these pieces be a reminder to slow down and embrace the light that's hitting you right now. Don't just fly through it, but soar through it. Stand in it. Let it soak in. Feel the warmth of it. These are the moments you're going to wish you could go back to one day, or at least be proud of yourself for embracing, so be where you are right now and let the light of gratitude find you there.

With love, Kathryn