The moment I met Lee Horbachewski and listened to her life's journey at the Woman Embracing Brilliance event, I felt a connection. With words, Lee painted a beautiful, honest, painful yet transforming picture which was so powerful for me that the visuals were instant. When Lee approached me to commission a painting I was thrilled as I had already visualized what it could be before we connected.

My process: I lit a candle, turned on some tranquil music and let my paintbrush connect to a higher power which flowed through me. I listened to my intuition and stepped into Lee's 'soul' shoes to transform her emotions onto canvas. I continued to play her story through my mind and the bits of conversation we had over the next few months. Her vibrant energy and observing how friends admired her or wanted to be next to her evoked pure love. I would frequent all the uplifting and emotional posts she would make on Facebook along with the glorious responses and abundance of support. I allowed myself to take this all in, revisit her pain and triumph and turn this array of emotions into a portrait of healing.

The Effect: My goal was to achieve the coming out on the other side of pain. The celebration of living a genuine life for herself and for many others lives she has graced by her presence. It is also a future glimpse at how Lee will flow gracefully and genuinely through life and create a clear cut path for others. It's a collage of beauty and serenity with the use of vivid colour, purple being her favourite. Orchids, daisies and lotus blossoms scattered playfully like a crown and veil. The two birds of paradise, encompass either side of her head and are symbols of the two birds in her story who rescued her thoughts and changed her life and others lives around her for the better and forever. Through the positive choice she made to turn her life around, the butterflies represent this transformation from darkness to light. It is so many things all wrapped up into one. A warrior goddess, yet simply serene, colourful and vibrant. A Purposeful Soul, PurposefulLee.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it” – Unknown

After days and weeks of sadness, I began to  realize how much of myself I gave up to 'keep the peace.' As I sat alone in my house for the first time on my own, I realized what complete peace was, inside and out. This new found peace was filled with a sense of calm. A peaceful heart free from worry and angst. I was starting over and rediscovering who I was, but at the same time in disbelief as to how I could have lost myself so completely. Small steps so subtle that I hadn't realized I became the shell of my former self.  I was now faced with reclaiming the positive, happy girl I once knew.

Loss is a natural part of life, but sometimes it can be hard to let go and move on. Whether losing a loved one, ending a romantic relationship or just losing touch with a friend we all need to go through the process of accepting what’s happened and move on. 

I am often asked what is my process when I begin a painting? Where do I get my ideas? I am now ready to share a glimpse into my world.

From Out of the Darkness was painted during the loss of a romantic relationship. A loss that felt like death as I had no other option but to remove myself from this situation...as if they no longer existed. Remove myself from someone I loved so very deeply in order to save me.

Sketching was my way of releasing and expressing my hurt, pain, anger and sadness. It is my form of healing. With just a few lines and scribbles it tells a story of the grief and loss. It documents these feelings so that when I am ready to put this expression on canvas I can be brought back to that pain. What amazes me every time is that from pain comes beauty. A spiritual healing for me but also for those who are viewing it.

My intention is that these paintings can be used as a tool for healing the soul, as it is from my soul that I visualize, perceive energies, and then create art from that space.