This painting is about the willingness to risk. The stone, having sat in the safety of its nest, has been given ‘training wings’ and is being lifted by a cloud. What causes any of us to be willing to risk the unknown is a mystery that greatly intrigues me. Perhaps a desire to move forward towards a future joy, or the fear of stagnating, or a profound love that calls us forth. Either way, once we have ventured from our safety zone, a new journey of expansion is begun. As was insightfully penned by the writer Anais Nin, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”