"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life" (Picasso)

I was born an artist. It's who I am . . . It's who God made me to be.
Through the years I have played with many different mediums, ranging from clay and glass to textiles and paper. Even with all of the creativity bestowed in me I never imagined coming to a place where I would actually "need" it.

Five years ago, at the age of twenty-eight, Fibromyalgia attacked my life. It tried to rob me of my strength and endurance. I spent many months trying to understand a disease that as a nurse I knew so little about. Pain ravished my body in waves of 'flare-ups' rendering me powerless. Anxiety and depression lead me to question how much this affliction would disable me.
I turned to my creator for hope, faith, and healing. In turn, his love guided me back to the natural talent he engraved within my soul.

Long before I ever picked up a brush, I developed a romantic desire to paint. My dream became a reality a year and a half ago when I started taking classes with a local artist. Life in general inspires me, taking from it millions of personal fragments. Watercolor realism allows me to capture moments in time with endless emotion, essence, and beauty.

Painting enables me to excape to a place where time and pain simply does not exist. The soothing strokes and colorful washes help to relax my mind and body. Although living without the effects of my disease would be grand, it has given me perspective and insight to a whole new world.
http://HollyLeeArt.blogspot.com