Sometimes slowing down doesn’t mean standing still.
It can happen while walking a familiar trail, running beside the water or settling into the rhythm of one step after another. The noise begins to fall away. Our thoughts have room to wander—and often, they return to the places and memories that matter most.
That idea feels especially fitting for Where Time Slows, my ArtPrize 2026 collection currently exhibited at Gazelle Sports in downtown Grand Rapids.
Gazelle’s commitment to movement, healthy living and active communities complements something I have explored throughout my work: the importance of slowing down, reconnecting and finding peace in the places we love.
My paintings are inspired by lakes, shorelines, dunes, cottages and familiar landscapes. I’m not simply trying to recreate what these places look like. I want to capture how it feels to be there—the quality of the light, the movement of the water and the memories a place can hold.
As part of the exhibit, I invited visitors to answer one question:
Where does time slow for you?
Their responses are becoming part of a community display. Some name a specific beach, lake, trail or family cottage. Others describe time spent with people they love or an activity that helps everything else fall away.
The answers may be different, but the feelings behind them are remarkably similar: peace, belonging, nostalgia, freedom and connection.
They remind me that meaningful places are more than destinations. They become part of our stories. They are the places we carry with us as we move through the world.
Sometimes moving our bodies gives our thoughts room to wander. Sometimes art helps us pause long enough to notice where those thoughts go.
I hope Where Time Slows encourages people to remember the places that restore them—and perhaps inspires them to return.
Where does time slow for you?
Where Time Slows
ArtPrize 2026 at Gazelle Sports
52 Monroe Center Street NW, Grand Rapids
On view through October 3