Inspiration Behind My Painting, “In Supplication.” Part 1.

Looking to the night sky for answers.

Challenges And Painful Times

In order to fully comprehend how this painting came about, I need to share some of my trials. You will often find in this life that those artists that share their work that comes from somewhere deep down inside have a very trying challenging story of pain to go along with the creation.

I can remember laying in bed one night in 2010 in our Florida home. My husband of seventeen years, Rich, was turned on his side, sleeping peacefully beside me. I was wide awake, thinking some very unsettling thoughts. I clearly remember being surprised to hear myself whisper out loud, "Who in the hell is this?" I had a feeling of foreboding. Little did I know then, it was going to get worse. Much worse than I could even imagine.

Eight years and 2,400 miles from that night, 2018 turned out to be one of the hardest years of my life. In October 2017, my husband was fired from his ten-year job unexpectedly by a new manager that he says he had never heard of before. It came as a phone call on a Friday morning. His career as a CDL A professional truck driver came to an abrupt end. He was a shining star; now it appeared he was becoming a falling star.

In the spring of 2018, our relationship with our landlords also changed. We used to be more like friends with them rather than landlord-tenant. When our two-year lease was up (just two-and-a-half months after realizing Rich was seriously ill), our landlord decided not to renew it. She made the new rent increase way out of our reach just to get us to move on. I thought we had found our "forever home" but that was not to be. Believe me, in light of our serious circumstances, this was an unexpected low blow. What in the world was I supposed to do?

What this did mean is that I had about 6 weeks to find a new place to live and get moved. This happened early in 2018 and led to 3 moves in one year. Of course, Rich could no longer drive or help me pack. It was all on my shoulders. After researching, I also found out that senior low-income housing had at least a four-year waitlist. How in the world was I to make this work? Read more>