Our world is full of wonders, and yet is fragile and under stress. This painting reflects the feelings of awe and gratitude I felt when I visited the arctic (I’ve been twice!) When I saw a blue whale surface, and heard it breathe, I felt like I was hearing the lungs of the whole ocean at work! All the animals depend on each other: they are connected, and we are connected to them as well. I paint big images and then chop them apart. I feel the risk whenever I have the knife in my hand – these actions cannot be undone. There are signs of brokenness and lament in this painting, as well as connection and joy. The strong drips in the middle, for example, point to our planet’s rate of warming and melting. The task of collaging is a kind of reconciliation, a labour toward wholeness. What would it mean to be a companion to these wild and free animals?