Bubbles Up

Of course there is usually music in the studio and often it is an eclectic mix! One song that really sticks with me is "Bubbles Up" by Jimmy Buffett. The song references a survival technique he encountered during water survival training associated with his aviation activities. In such training, individuals are taught that if they become disoriented underwater, they should follow the trail of air bubbles, as these bubbles naturally ascend to the surface, guiding them back to safety. This piece is a reminder of this profoundly symbolic principle, viewing it as a metaphor for navigating life’s challenges: when feeling lost or overwhelmed, one should “follow the bubbles” to find clarity and direction.

This was actually a "throwaway board" transformed, consisting of acrylic paint and glaze.Often I don't know what I am painting until the painting evolves and lets me know what it wants to be. That was truly the case here. In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how ideas are floating about, looking for someone to bring them into being. I believe that's exactly what happens for me, both when I am writing and painting! I "catch" the germ of an idea and it's like I am channeling something to bring it into being. As a psychotherapist the theme of "Bubbles Up" resonates with everything I know about surviving difficult seasons in life. Follow the bubbles to the surface and safety.

In Bubbles Up I explore the quiet energy of what lives beneath the surface—emotion, memory, breath. Using layered blues and greens, this piece evokes a sense of being underwater, or within a moment suspended in time. The white orbs trace a path like bubbles or constellations, inviting the viewer to drift, to pause, to listen. The subtle lines suggest motion, grief, and release all at once. This painting, like so many of mine, seeks to hold stillness and movement in the same breath.