Introduction As I was considering how I wanted to talk about how I love my body, my mind wandered over time from when what has become my body was genetic material in the ovum that became my mother in my grandmother’s ovary to long after the lifespan of my body when it has become dust. This really put me in the mood to get philosophical. So, I put on my favourite philosophy podcasts and got to work. This is a series of paintings investigating the essential nature of what it means to me to have a body. There is responsibility with having a body, for the works that we create with our body in our life time, the creations of our being have a karmic trail. That is a trail of cause and effect. What we do with our life matters unto ourselves and unto others. I have not always loved my body maybe because I did not even understand how or why it was so important. Sometimes what I thought was love was not love at all. There have been times that my body has taught me how it needs to be loved. I began to think about questions that I have thought about from time to time my whole life. Who am I? What am I? How do my creations serve? Why are these questions important? A self -portrait and a value study of my hands, the work of my hands seemed to be appropriate. Value Study #1 Healed Size: 24x20 Medium: acrylic and gold leaf This is a value study from an element of a cast bronze and enamelled heart I had made in university. Some of the themes I was considering in this series I have worked with for many years. Not all questions around them have been solved that is a perhaps a life’s work. ‘Healed’ is about being accountable. Most of us have been hurt in life and the unfortunate thing about that is its not always our fault that we were hurt but it is always our responsibility to heal. This piece is about revisiting accountability for ourselves and current situation no matter what caused us to get there, forgiving and letting go of the past, standing up in whatever brokenness we perceive ourselves in and saying I love myself. I am worthy. Artist: Rebecca Light