“It took me to a place of comfort, and I will always remember this.”
—email from my friend Tom M., after seeing my paintings hanging at the Princeton Medical Center
painting detail
On January 23rd, 2026, I received this beautiful email from a friend, Tom McGrory, an artist and art model that I know from my weekly Thursday night figure drawing group. He told me I could share it here.
“Seo-Hyun’s Bouquet” oil on canvas mounted on board, 13.75 x 10.5 inches
For some weeks prior, I had been feeling sad and hopeless, wondering if there was "any point" in making art when the world felt so chaotic and awful, and so this email warmed my heart and gave me hope. It reminded me that art is essential, important, and healing.
In the email, Tom is referring to a couple paintings I have hanging at the @princetonhealth Art for Healing Gallery. I've included one here: "Seo-Hyun's Bouquet." The show ends in April.
Me standing in front of my two oil paintings hanging at the Princeton Medical Center during the opening reception in November, 2025. This show continues through April, 2026.
Email from Tom McGrory:
On the evening of December 23rd 2025, I drove to the Princeton Medical Center to visit my mother-in-law who had been admitted for a second time in the past month.
Not looking good, considering all the medical complications. I arrived, to meet my brother-in-law who had driven from Connecticut, arriving at 7:30pm.
We were only minutes late. She had just passed moments before we arrived. No one else was there from the family, as they had left about an hour earlier.
I left the room to allow her son to be alone with her, and afterwards stayed with her for a brief time.
It was so quiet in the hospital, and I felt so alone in that place. And then I remembered I had a friend on the first floor whose artwork I could be with. So I took the elevator from the 5th floor down to the lobby.
Not sure exactly how long I was there, but it was a while. Thank you Lauren Kindle, for being there for me in this strange and painful time.
It took me to a place of comfort, and I will always remember this.
“View from Cattell Street in the Springtime” oil on board, 9 x 12 inches. For sale.