Connexions

This painting was a commission for the band Vishtèn in honor of their late bandmate, who had passed the year before. The album was a collection of songs she had begun writing, completed by her bandmates and musician friends—a collaboration that bridged the seen and unseen, a way of bringing her presence into the music one final time.

I painted this piece with her. As I worked, I spoke to her out loud, feeling her energy with me. And then, she painted her cat. It was unmistakable—her hand moving through mine, adding a detail that was uniquely hers. This was my first overtly channeled piece, and the experience left me in awe.

In the painting, she stands radiant in the cosmos, her reflection mirroring back the vastness of her spirit, while her bandmates dance beneath her in the physical world. Her favorite flowers, forget-me-nots and roses, weave through the scene, a quiet promise that she will never be forgotten. The entire composition is stitched into the Prince Edward Island landscape, a place that holds so many memories of her.

Being entrusted with this work was an incredible honor. To share in her presence, to feel her guiding the process, was a profound and humbling experience—one that will stay with me always.

2024

Prince Edward Island, Canada

Find these cds/vinyls at Vishten's website