These days I am fascinated by geometric marks made by early humans during the Ice Age. I think of our common ancestors as I place the circles, spirals, triangles, dots and wavy lines they made into my new paintings. They were the original artists. From our tribal beginnings, we humans felt a deep need to share what we saw or experienced with others.

I am comforted by their marks. They are evidence of the long arc of human life on our planet. We have found ways to adapt and survive. And yet we are fragile creatures, as our current global pandemic reminds us. In this dangerous time, I feel the presence of these prehistoric souls. They seem to surround me with messages they still want to share—if only I listen hard enough. I imagine one of them, standing near the cave entrance, reaching for charcoal and ochre to inscribe the waiting rock. What did the artist intend, I wonder?

I stand back from the painting on my easel to regard the ancient signs I’ve placed alongside my own marks. There are primordial messages from ancestors whispered here—and I am listening.