6in x 6in by 1 and 3/8 inch deep, Acrylic on wood 2025

“These are micro moments that begin to shape our system

in very gentle ways.” — Deb Dana

Painting is how I express the mystery of life, what is beyond words. How do we connect to that mystery and to each other?

A glimmer is a small moment of connection and ease sparked by something beautiful or warm or inspiring—a scent, a scene, a sound. In her work with complex trauma, Deb Dana coined the term glimmers as the opposite of triggers. Triggers we know well from today’s landscape littered with fears and warnings of unhappiness. Instead, glimmers bring a brief space of joy and peace.

My work centers on relationships, what is connected or separated, accepted or excluded. The circle encompasses and evokes wholeness, inclusion. Within this wholeness, I manipulate paints by fingers rather than brushes, a connection by touch. A small world appears as if in a circular window, perhaps an abstract landscape, or a planet or an icon. The creative moment itself is a glimmer.

After many years, how to present these small works has revealed itself, including adding brush-worked layering on their surfaces. Learning about glimmers gave me their title. Each image, alone or in groups, becomes a portal to connectedness and the potential for a moment of joy.