Coming of Age

“Aging” is a word that conjures images of infirmity, and calls into question our ability to contribute meaningfully to society. A far more positive phrase related to getting older is “coming of age” – we use it to signal that a person has lived a certain number of years and is now mature enough to engage in adult behaviour.
It is unfortunate that we reserve “coming of age” for young people when coming of age happens every day of every person’s life, no matter how long they have lived.  Through my paintings, I argue that our ongoing learning process, and becoming capable of doing things we could not do before, opens us continually to the nurturing elements of emotional wellness.