![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/8146ff68-6aff-49bc-bf61-1ea5cc597a15_rw_1920.jpg?h=6c8c0738c3d517f77e92be58ddeaab01)
Lightness 1
![Lightness 2](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/389b40a8-8911-4b22-bea8-12314ea8a892_rw_1920.jpg?h=5ecd974d5a5d6240d64eea1c2181fcb7)
Lightness 2
![Lightness 3](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/5f1a2dc8-4038-489a-b250-9f3a72e1180c_rw_1920.jpg?h=1b347ab20d26472513e4c27fdd499f44)
Lightness 3
![Lightness 4](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/7e5406b5-f55e-4bf7-8b91-2280ad1e7ed5_rw_1920.jpg?h=8a104724da0d82afe53ee6ab80cb6b68)
Lightness 4
![Lightness 5](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/c237a9b9-b99d-49f0-9769-e1078eed4677_rw_1920.jpg?h=05a8da601c7240bf35d133358df950d7)
Lightness 5
![Lightness 6](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/a8102a0a-3d8d-4c1e-950e-ed53e478f318_rw_1920.jpg?h=1c9a4905fdb370e0dd1f93820a1d88e1)
Lightness 6
![Lightness 7](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/fed125bb-b6ae-4761-963c-342b51a62e33_rw_1920.jpg?h=a880dbd06caed9807f74ce4fb6e7d2bb)
Lightness 7
![Lightness 8](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/6fefc2c9-4b54-4360-9abf-458eb809baac_rw_1920.jpg?h=47927ff9895e8b420bf97f325ff3fd1c)
Lightness 8
![Lightness 9](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/d5aff843-6178-4e1f-add6-aadf5db82160_rw_1920.jpg?h=7bbdf191abadef43df9cf8617bb91d9d)
Lightness 9
![Lightness 10](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/af3ba86e-74ec-404f-9da2-c7e86967b177_rw_1920.jpg?h=2a494392cc79d25367222b16b188fa95)
Lightness 10
![Lightness 11](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/b76e0c2a-2c39-4156-9fc6-4bec047c2ef7_rw_1920.jpg?h=0492631e76c1b0744d6813e519d20f81)
Lightness 11
![Lightness 12](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/1cc922dd-bf28-4285-b1a8-561fc3364878_rw_1920.jpg?h=3d23889c124d089fcd9b0ab25926e779)
Lightness 12
![Lightness 13](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/71fb3cc6-4363-48b5-8f96-deb547e96ee1_rw_1920.jpg?h=6b3925b20808f85a09dfe03948ceb093)
Lightness 13
![Lightness 14](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/a0134d07-6c3b-492f-b41f-0190918b04b4_rw_1920.jpg?h=f4f2eaf4f6ae6c91ce7907ad24a19ed6)
Lightness 14
![Lightness 15](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/45d38c9a-e5ae-4eab-a14e-ec252d485b8f_rw_1920.jpg?h=c1a2fbf59464268e0f3e513383b98a9c)
Lightness 15
![Lightness 16](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/010b7540-a9ac-4494-ad4b-294ad8feadc2_rw_1920.jpg?h=e22036f0daa762b2b287cf147464f57a)
Lightness 16
![Lightness 17](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/5b1e465b-147a-4e48-ba9f-f457dab73a00_rw_1920.jpg?h=2941a47cb0553e6e02ca3962f4b9b1b8)
Lightness 17
![Lightness 18](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/b035e4a2-f0ce-42e3-b826-2a3d7234822f_rw_1920.jpg?h=cf756c6594dbfd73222bb2731fe68263)
Lightness 18
![Lightness 19](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/d417fcaa-5ddd-4f99-9ad0-19153b6687f4_rw_1920.jpg?h=5eb4c3fddf0bb4ae4272314882265ad2)
Lightness 19
![Lightness 20](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/082d61d9-3e81-4b99-bdf5-c623bfc4ba04_rw_1920.jpg?h=05c2cfcf1548f3f700d8da15b25eb005)
Lightness 20
![Lightness 21](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/970587c6-3e7d-4238-be4a-754078b3df7d_rw_1920.jpg?h=a2d5367ea51c48aee5a57b35e508edc5)
Lightness 21
![Lightness 22](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/2dde80dc-93e4-4288-9fc6-112c4009315e_rw_1920.jpg?h=1ace1a8ea86932d9330a32f3e071ea93)
Lightness 22
![Lightness 23](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/3fe34976-7b79-40ff-9855-dd647418cbc0_rw_1920.jpg?h=6660e97efbfc0a373b0259680efb0c00)
Lightness 23
![Lightness 24](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/b33aeebd-c348-4a9d-8a91-69bec3260b87_rw_1920.jpg?h=7ab5ab02b864379aeeeea4b8511fc027)
Lightness 24
![Lightness 25](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/9f4dd00a-0e17-420e-b6cf-91891010351b_rw_1920.jpg?h=05935d8159a34b55ab37f074475c808c)
Lightness 25
Lightness 1 - 25, 2020
Lightness Story
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/32890ddc-74fe-4a55-963f-d3124613b436_rw_1200.jpg?h=fff342551915b9d8b13a44584a955788)
Frances E. J. Kaleda, 1931 - 2017
The last time my mother sent me a message was 12 months after she died. I had been distraught over her loss and had completely stopped painting. I was in the process of selling the family home where I grew up and had run into multiple frustrating delays. When I finally got the call confirming that the sale was going through, something extraordinary happened.
I opened my apartment door, which was down a long hallway on the 5th floor of a building with no elevator. Floating in front me, directly at eye level, hovering over my welcome mat was a red balloon. It had lost just enough helium to take on a heart shape. I don’t believe in ghosts and I don’t like found objects, as they have the potential for dirt, germs and who knows what else. But the timing of this balloon was uncanny. And when I let the shadow of a possibility that my mother somehow sent this message into my mind, I felt moved.
I opened the door and let the balloon in. The next year was spent working on a series of digital paintings that explore the experience of connecting with a transcendent soul and offering a possible gateway to the eternal.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/dfb67035-0d67-4e3e-ab5b-9b7f1bdf57a4/a3273648-1cda-4f35-90a8-4996cd6a19ab_rw_1200.jpg?h=7dd5588d33f492a9b4fe405ecc641970)
Message, 2018