In my series Spiraling Upwards, I incorporate recycled cardboard into my encaustic work, exploring the transformative power of recovery. Inspired by my experience and stories from others, I reflect on how principals such as gratitude, joy, forgiveness, acceptance and willingness among others, can create an upward spiral, fostering resilience over time. Even in the aftermath of loss, exhaustion, or disruption, we can find paths toward renewal. In my work, I explore the momentum of recovery and how intentionality in attitude can move us toward greater well-being.

Using encaustic on recycled cardboard, I intentionally bring together materials that are both resilient and vulnerable: wax shaped by heat and fire, and cardboard once considered discarded. Through layering and rebuilding, the process becomes a metaphor for cultivating principals of recovery. The spiral form, recurrent throughout this series and within my Cairn’s & Standing Stone paintings, embodies this upward arc echoing the persistent energy that symbolizes growth.

In the context of recovery this series is about universal principals that can create the phenomenon of spiraling upwards. It is an invitation to witness transformation and to recognize that renewal can emerge from within the layered textures of our lives. My own process of “spiraling upwards” increased 17 years ago with recovery from addiction. This series is in gratitude of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. My work is a celebration of the intersection between my creative practice and my spiritual program that has created an “upward spiral.”