When skiing we change lenses for visual clarity, and navigating the COVID landscape and quarantine demanded a metaphorical shift in perspective as well. Confined to the physical constraints of my kitchen table, I craved a new form of challenge—bringing the mountains to me. These mountains sometimes loom with awe-inspiring magnitude, or are dwarfed by sky and northern lights, reaching toward infinite and unpredictable horizons. I was pushed to visualize, draw, interpret, and construct in entirely new ways, relying on the single-mindedness and stubbornness forged in my athletic career to guide me through the painful but compelling process of beginning from scratch. With Sue Oehme as my mentor, and her trust in my tenacity and painstaking repetitiveness, I found my way into this new world. The works I’m creating now mark a midpoint in my journey; I am only just internalizing the idea that I am an artist, discovering the playfulness and ease that come with time. As a World Cup skier and Olympic Gold Medalist, it was never strength or agility alone that carried me, but the creativity to find a line or see the mountain differently—and the same ease and flow I feel skiing radical lines now shape my art. Bringing these two worlds together, while continually changing my lenses, has been quite a ride.
