About Us

ART BY PDS –  ART THAT HEALS THE HEART

Greetings, and welcome into my “art”.  Photography is my passion that illustrates my life.  When you have a passion, you do it, not in a quest to answer life’s questions - you do it. I love it, so I do it! I often have my camera on my hip, in my hand, around my neck, or in my purse! It has been that way since I needed to illustrate the short stories I wrote in the fourth grade. [Full disclaimer, my drawing skills without a camera and a computer stink.  It’s always been that way.]  Photography is the passion I run to when I am happy, hurt, need a break,  want to share, and want to bring out the best in others. Although graduating from college with an IT background, my work always comes full circle to Photography - including Photogrammetry, laser engraving using my photos, and graphic design. I am grateful that my study of computers has allowed me to take deeper dives into my passion for creativity through camera lenses. 

Art by PDS collection comes from a special place. This is the place where trauma lives from childhood abuses to teenage survival into adulthood traumas … … relationships, broken marriages, family, and social injustices. I grew up in an area that they call “the projects.“ I learned early in life to “just deal with it.”  At first, I used storytelling to help me cope. Later, I needed illustrations - to make the story clear and to afford the reader a bonding moment. One of my therapists recently said to me, “You’ve got a lot of stories.“ LOL. If only they only knew. Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. So, yes, I do have a lot of stories. What I do not have, though, is a desire to tell the specifics of my traumatic experiences. It does me no good - it relives it for me. The “stories’ help me escape madness and not for entertainment. If you were reading this, and something resonates with you, then your tragic story is enough to tell you how important it is to have positive avenues to help you grieve, cope while having a deep sense of joy … and to move on. 

All the photos in the fine art collection are essential links in assisting me to cope with the trauma. I feel the story behind the pictures will inspire many people as they seek ways to gain strength and courage to cope with their realities.  Each photo in this collection carries a victorious milestone in my dealing with various stages of abuse, abandonment, and otherwise categorized “cra-cra”. Each picture has its own story, so please read the story behind the pieces that interest you. The lessons are free, and you will benefit from them.  The artwork will serve as vivid visual reminders!

Instead of rehashing the attacks, I hope to give you something to help you overcome those tough times. If you are going through it, my heart goes out to you. I can say to you that we have living things all around us that teach us that life’s challenges can be endured and that even during these trials, life can be enjoyed! Each photo proves this in my life, and it can also be true of you and your life. I have had several coping mechanisms, including the beauty of what comes out in these art pieces. Observing creation and learning lessons embedded within them has been a fantastic gift. Lessons have come while enjoying walks -  finding solace in what is around me and meditating on what it teaches me. I hope you, too, will be able to enjoy the lessons I have learned and benefit from them.

Since 1994, I have had the immense privilege of sharing another one of my coping mechanisms with people in various places around the world. In 2001, I learned American Sign Language to share that same information with those of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. My travels have taken me to Ecuador, the West Indies, southern Africa, India, and various states within the United States. As it relates to victims, my observation is that people are the same everywhere. They want to be loved, understood, cared for, listened to, and to be given the benefit of the doubt.  We all seem to be looking for that gateway toward allowing our hearts to heal from all the abuses that have come upon us. My journey has been a wonderful way to learn about life – traveling and serving others. I invite you to enjoy this journey with me, take a piece of me with you, and let us keep learning and healing together.

My journey is not over yet. There is still much more work to do in teaching people the other avenues of my coping mechanisms and comforting people the best way I know how - giving them a piece of me. It takes time and energy, and this artwork is a wonderful way to make extensions of my stories. 

Art by PDS: I desire that you see these art pieces in your spaces and be constantly reminded of why you can keep up the fight to find happier spaces of existence during these distressing times.