San Diego Live Event Painting Recap
Every line is a person, and every place they cross holds a story. Step inside the painting I made live at Home Beyond Borders.
10/29/20263 min read
Portrait by photographer @amandasanmartinphotography
Intertwined starts from a simple idea that each line on the canvas is one person moving through the world. Where our lines cross, sparks happen. That is where innovation, understanding, and connection live. Each bubble in the painting sits at one of those intersections and holds a moment, story, or idea from the evening’s conversation.
I painted as I listened to the moderator, Dr. Dhalia Balmir, and speakers Dr. Angela Coker, Idara O., Dominic Porter, and Shugri Salh. Lines connected and bubbles were added at intersections. The bubbles were then filled with insights I heard from the conversations in the room.
Below I describe the inspiration for each bubble.
Also, look at the bottom third of the painting. One line runs open and alone, touching no other line, and no bubbles form along it. It shows what happens when we stay isolated... no spark, no creativity, no progress. Growth happens when we meet each other and bring with us our stories and lessons from home.
The Bubbles
The Tree (center). Our roots run deep. The tree sits at the heart of the painting because where we come from shapes how we move through the world.The Books. Reading allows us to travel to different places and the books we read teach us about one another. Books give us the ability to learn, to tell our own stories, and to connect.The Water. This comes from panelist Shugri Salh, author of The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert. She described the joy when the water came: people could finally rest easy, gain strength, and celebrate together. It is a reminder of how basic needs and shared joy are tied together.
“Yes, and.” The phrase was shared by panelist, Dominic Porter. For example: yes, we now have opportunities to be in different rooms we were once shut out of, and there is still so much room for improvement. This bubble holds the idea that two things can be true at the same time.
Wind Energy and Buildings. Infrastructure and innovation can grow together. Culture is part of the foundation we build on.
The Red Cross. This comes from Shugri Salh’s funny and moving story about her work in home healthcare. Some of her clients held very different views and deep-rooted beliefs about her people. She cared for them anyway, with compassion and curiosity, and shared openly about who she is and where she comes from. Over time, those clients grew to love her. Her story shows how care can open minds and widen everyone’s picture of the world.
Planet Earth. The globe is painted with Africa at the center, facing forward, honoring the evening’s focus on African culture and the African diaspora. An audience member shared that when astronauts return, they look at the Earth and think, we’re going home. This bubble holds home on two levels: where each of us comes from, and the planet we all share. Water, food, and shelter are here for all of us.
The Handshake. Mutual cooperation. When we understand our differences, they make us stronger.
The Conversation. Two speech bubbles face each other, each holding a small red heart in quotation marks. Even when we don’t share a written or spoken language, we can speak the language of love. Leading with compassion instead of judgment lets us understand one another.
The Document. A white page stands as a declaration and a commitment to share our work and our stories with others.
Black Circles. In each black circle there are small brown ovals in many sizes and shades. Each one represents a person. They represent how many backgrounds we come from, and that every idea in this painting is carried by people.