“Satchel & Penny vs. Sea Monster” Acrylic paint on engraved Palboard diorama by Rebecca Ruggles. 24x24x5 inches, May 2023

Reflections and lessons learned: I’m very pleased with how this piece turned out. It was better than my initial vision, which rarely happens in the creative process. Completing this piece is a huge milestone because finishing and hanging a piece of my art on the wall has been challenging. I start things just fine, but seeing them to completion is what eludes me. In creating this diorama, I discovered I feel most alive when painting or sculpting. Having my hands in it, getting lost in the workflow. This is the feeling I’ve been missing in my former work. It’s a feeling of surrender to the moment, to be and not have an agenda of perfection or marketability. I discovered that I am an artist and need to do art daily because it’s food for my soul.