"We Rise" by Laurie Ritchie

Mixed Media Acrylic

18" x 24" Framed

Laurie is the owner/founder of Whole Arts Connection, and author of "Artfelt Inspiration: Let Your Freak Fly". A creative enthusiast all her life, but never formally taught in art, she learned the fascination of play and discovery through the expressive art field. With a background in mental health occupational therapy, she uses the expressive arts to awaken people to their innate creativity, so they can re-connect to their soul, express the unspoken with authenticity, and blaze their way to their biggest dreams. Her art, like the expressive arts, is varied and layered, whether mixed media acrylics, beading, music, or writing/poetry.

ARTIST STATEMENT: "It's taken me a long time to accept this label as "artist". I didn't go to art school. My art, as yet, is not hanging in galleries. It's never been my focus. Yet, this is what I know: what we practice, we are. Over time, in sharing my understanding of the art process, "giving yourself over to where your passion lies", I can fully acknowledge the artist in me. I have learned that art, in its layers and wide variety, whether through music, paint or writing, has returned me to my soul. I believe, once entering into that place of passion, where time doesn't exist, you are one with God and the angels. They are always pushing me/us with loving adoration, knowing me/us more than we're capable, to move out of my/our fractured stories of doubt and fear.

This piece, as I join with too many others across the nation who claim #metoo, is an echo of the message I've been hearing within me for a long time. "Stand strong. Be vulnerable. Speak your Truth." Together, as we embrace this beauty of Feminine Wisdom: Compassion, Forgiveness and Inclusion, we shall rise from the impression of weakness that has been built into the foundation of our existence for centuries."

Website https://www.wholeartsconnection.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wholeartconnections/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wholearts/

*This piece may be shipped for an additional fee in the contiguous U.S.