My husband Ed and I have been together 24 years - more than half my life. It’s really hard to imagine life without Ed and I feel thankful every day to have such a monumentally generous, kind, and caring partner to live this life with. We met young, woking at a restaurant together one summer, and dated for 7 years before marrying in June 2001.
When I stop to think about why our marriage works, I am reminded of a speech Ed’s brother, Steve, gave at our wedding. He observed how Ed and I had “spaces in our togetherness” (from a quote by Kahlil Gibran), which emphasizes the importance of supporting one another while maintaining your individuality as to not lose yourself in the relationship. This struck a chord with me at the time as I was still in my early 20s and growing into myself. Looking at it now, wow, we were babies - how much we have grown since then, and thankfully in the same direction! While we share the same core values, Ed and I are very different as individuals. As Steve observed, we have been able to have that space in our relationship to be ourselves, strive for our personal goals, pursue our passions - all the while being the biggest cheerleader for one another.
Over the years, we have been through a lot, but have always been each other’s best friend. In reflection of this dynamic, I painted “Apart Together” in which one style, (the drips) come from one side and another style, (the drops) enter from the opposite side. The 2 styles meet in the middle, harmonizing and intertwining to create a layered landscape.
Part of what I love about painting is creating a visual for the intangible. A 4ft x 4ft enlargement of this piece hangs in our living room, commemorating our love, our life & our union.
Prints of "Apart Together" available on website here.