When I was creating Sky in Motion, I kept coming back to this idea that I wanted to give clouds form. I wanted it to feel like it had substance and weight and power to it. Something you could almost feel pressing back. When I was building the shapes, I kept thinking about how I almost wanted them to feel like hands and fingers reaching across the sky, having that power to take what they want.
That push-and-pull between beauty and force has become central to my work.
A lot of it comes down to respect. Respect for nature, and respect for things in our lives that are bigger than ourselves. And also making peace with that. I think that’s where these skies really come from for me. They represent what happens when observation meets experience. Pivotal moments where I’ve felt like I did not have control. Because the truth is, things don’t always go our way.
Recently, that feeling became very real.
Last week, we spent time at McMaster Children’s Hospital with my two-and-a-half-year-old son, who needed surgery. I will always be grateful to the staff and doctors who helped him. At the same time, I was very pregnant (we’re about to welcome our second son this week). It felt like a complete lack of control. All we could do was put our trust in the medical team there. There were very real limitations to what I could personally fix.
And sometimes that’s life. We often are faced with circumstances where we need to surrender to the weight of the world around us. If we’re lucky, it turns out beautifully. In this case, I was very lucky, and our son is recovering very well.
When I was creating Sky in Motion, I was exploring this theme very intentionally. The sky was meant to feel alive in a way that’s peaceful, powerful, unpredictable, and moving. I find this both grounding and honest.
It’s really meant to serve as an appreciation for things that are bigger than us, and a reminder to respect the magnitude of the world around us. We are tiny beings. We do not have control.
And maybe that’s just the way it’s meant to be.
See Sky in Motion in person at the AGH Art Sale
If you’d like to see Sky in Motion in person, it will be available through the annual Art Sale at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
The show runs from April 23 – 26, 2026 and is free to attend, with access to the galleries throughout the event. If something in this work resonates with you, I’d love for you to experience it in person.
