Emerald Sojourn

The journey began during a forest bath, when a guide read a poem from John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us. Drawn into his world of myth, landscape, and spirit, I devoured Anam Cara and Beauty, and soon traveled to Ireland—a place long on my bucket list—to experience the land that shaped his writing. Soon after, an unexpected layoff gave me the rare chance to live as a full‑time artist. I set out to paint Ireland not as a photograph, but as it is felt. Through nearly 60 sketches, I blended and reshaped reference images, asking what story each painting wanted to tell. The resulting series captures the essence of the landscape and the healing power of art and nature. As O’Donohue wrote, “For your soul senses a world awaits you.”