About The Creator...
The creator of the series
“Finding your Shnnoogle”
In September of 2004, I nearly fell off a 15 ft scaffold because I lost my balance. After noticing a loss of coordination and balance over the previous few weeks, that incident scared me into going to see my Doctor. A series of tests later, on October 14th, I received the call that shook my world, a diagnosis of MS. In the weeks that followed, I struggled through quickly diminishing motor skills and strength. To even speak a few words coherently was an incredible task for me. I could not sign my name or even send an e-mail because I could not hit the keys my brain directed my fingers to hit. I found myself, as an artist, trapped in a body with so much I wanted to share and a quickly vanishing ability to do so. This set an all consuming goal for me. I had always wanted to do something meaningful in life. I knew now that the most important thing for me was to do something to inspire and touch others before I lost all ability to do so. Something that could help make this world a better place.
So I dove head long into my Shnnoogle paintings, a project I had begun but had been putting off completing because I could always "just do it tomorrow". Ten canvases depicting a story of hope, faith and giving from the heart. A one year project. I did these as a gift for the families and children who are confronted daily with the deeper meaning of life, to hang in the radiology waiting room of the Phoenix Children's Hospital.
As I painted each day, being forced to pause at times waiting and hoping to regain control of my right hand, I became aware of the importance of never taking a moment for granted, gaining deeper insight and empathy for those I painted for.
Something else happened as I painted. Something magical. The more I painted these canvases, the more strength and control I gained, along with my determination to continue bringing to others the gift I was receiving...the healing that takes place in ones heart and body when one does an act of kindness for another. Here I sit years later never having revisited those painful moments since, thanking God that I have regained my motor skills and can write this to you today...