Why I Created a Series About the Values That Connect Us

"Art has the power to remind us that, beneath our differences, we are more alike than we realize."

Sometimes a painting begins with a color. Sometimes it begins with a memory.

And sometimes, an entire series arrives all at once. That was Illuminate the World.

Over the course of just six weeks, I created twelve large-scale paintings unlike anything I had made before. Instead of working on one canvas at a time, I worked on all twelve simultaneously, moving from painting to painting each day as though they were all participating in the same conversation.

Looking back, I don't think I was simply creating a collection of artwork. I was responding to something much bigger than myself.

A World That Needed More Light

As I looked around at the world, I couldn't help but notice how often our differences were being used to separate us.

Different cultures.

Different languages.

Different beliefs.

Different experiences.

Yet the more I reflected, the more convinced I became that underneath those differences live the same hopes we all carry. We long to belong. We long to love. We dream. We heal. We persevere. We find joy. We wonder.

Those universal values became the foundation of Illuminate the World.

Rather than creating paintings about places or politics, I wanted to celebrate the qualities that unite us as human beings. This is why I created a series about the values that connect us.

One Series. Twelve Universal Values.

Each painting explores a different value through abstract forms, layered textures, and intuitive mark-making.

To deepen that message, I embedded words from languages around the world directly into the paintings themselves—small reminders that wisdom exists in every culture and that beauty is found in our shared humanity.

Values such as:

• Love

• Joy

• Wonder

• Humanity

• Healing

• Courage

• Growth

• Dreams

• Light

  
  

Each language carries its own history and perspective, yet every word points toward something deeply familiar.

Art, much like kindness, needs no translation.

The Fastest Series I've Ever Created

People often ask how long these paintings took to create. The answer surprises almost everyone. The entire series came to life in less than six weeks. It felt less like forcing an idea into existence and more like listening carefully to something already waiting to be expressed.

For me, creating art is often an act of trust.

I begin with curiosity rather than certainty, allowing each layer to reveal the next. During those six weeks, the work unfolded with an energy I had never experienced before. Every day I returned to the studio eager to discover what wanted to emerge.

The series taught me something profound about creativity: when we stop trying to control every outcome and instead become willing to listen, remarkable things can happen.

From My Studio to the National Institutes of Health

Earlier this year, Illuminate the World was honored with a three-month solo exhibition at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Watching patients, doctors, researchers, families, and visitors from around the world experience the work was one of the greatest privileges of my artistic career.

People connected with different paintings for different reasons.

Some saw hope.

Others found peace.

Some stood quietly in front of a painting for several minutes before sharing a story from their own lives.

Those conversations reminded me why I create.

Art doesn't have to solve our problems to matter.

Sometimes its greatest gift is simply helping us feel seen, understood, and connected.

Why I'm Sharing This Series Again

After the exhibition ended, I realized these paintings still had more work to do.

They deserved an opportunity to continue finding homes where they could become daily reminders of hope, resilience, joy, and connection.

That is why I am reopening Illuminate the World and sharing the complete series once again. Not because the paintings are new. But because their message feels just as relevant today as the day they were created.

Perhaps even more so.

Which Value Speaks to You?

One of my favorite questions to ask viewers is this:

Which value do you need most right now?

Not your favorite color.

Not your favorite composition.

But the value your heart is quietly asking for.

Maybe it's courage.

Maybe it's healing.

Maybe it's joy.

Maybe it's wonder.

My hope is that Illuminate the World reminds us that while our paths may look different, the values that guide us are remarkably universal.

Perhaps that's where real connection begins.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Together, let's continue to illuminate the world—one act of wonder, one conversation, and one painting at a time.

With joy and gratitude, Precious