Fine art prints and notecards for The Piper Collection can be purchased by clicking here.

Across the globe, I think we can agree that the time of the Covid quarantine in 2020 was an experience unlike any other. For me personally, I experienced the first real loss of my life that year when my dad’s transplanted lung gave its last breath. That precious time of life when one has her children at home, parents close by, and everyone in good health ended. Just like that. And then within weeks, the Covid pandemic began. We were all home for quite some time. There was a day in early March when I was taking photographs of a large floral arrangement in my home studio. I think the need to photograph beautiful things was my soul finding its way through grief. I felt separated from beauty. My heart ached. Reaching for my camera was a way to find a connection again. However, my oldest daughter decided to let her pet “fancy rat” Piper loose onto my glorious scene. At first, I was irritated because I was so focused on the flowers and resented the interruption, but then the most magical thing happened. Piper came just into focus with the most shocked expression right next to a spilled container of Goji berries. She was just as surprised to be in the scene as I was to photograph her there. At this moment my quarantine education began. This is when the beauty of reality, even the often-seen-as ugly side of reality, began to demand my attention. Almost every day I would create an environment for Piper to explore while I attempted to capture her from behind the lens. Most days, one of my three daughters would help set it up…soon they began to run inside with glee after finding a snail or carpenter bee to add to the composition. It was as if Piper was discovering the scent, the colors, and the texture of it all..absorbing the glorious details in wonder and awe. At this point I must confess, I have never been thrilled about having a pet rat. I’ve always thought their faces, their mannerisms, and bodies were adorable…but then there’s the tail. The tail still gives me goosebumps! However, as I spent more and more time with Piper, watching how she moved and her sweet demonstrative expressions…I began to care for her much more. A need to protect her surfaced (she’s old and I can see what is coming down the road). And that’s just it…when we truly see the beauty and humanity in those that are different from us … this is when our love grows. Our empathy grows. Our heart breaks open to the world. This is where our behavior can change.