Spring now! This time is a literal groundswell of possibilities as the earth begins burgeoning with life. Seeing the impossibly green sprouts emerging from the only recently frozen ground, feels like hope. In tune with the awakening spring, I have been thinking about hope. It sometimes get a bad rap as a kind of wishful thinking that everything will be fine. It is more complicated than that. I see hope as faith in the mystery, and a willingness to step into the unknown with open eyes and an ability to act as needed...

I am inspired by the writing of Rebecca Solnitz (Hope in the dark: untold histories, wild possibilities). She says: "Hope is a gift you don't have to surrender, a power you don't have to throw away." Yes, hope is powerful – I feel it like a prayer, when I walk into my studio, listen to the news, or think of the amazing people in my life. And being hope is work too – to show up, and be present and do what needs to be done.

I made these pieces below, with hope in my heart.