WITH EVERY BRUSHSTROKE
An illustrated memoir of twinship, loss, and grace.
With Every Brushstroke is a visual memoir that weaves together original paintings, art therapy, and reflections on grief and hope. It began as a way to honour Monique's twin, Suzanne, and share how Monique transformed her pain after losing her twin into an intimate journey through her art and, ultimately, a beautiful expression of her identity and faith.
Best experienced on a laptop or desktop. Mobile devices are supported, but loading times may be longer.
“This project began with the passing of my twin sister, Suzanne, after a long health battle. My grief and loss of identity forced me to heal through my art.”
— Monique
An art-filled story of twinship and memory
At the heart of With Every Brushstroke is the bond between twin sisters Monique and Suzanne. Both sisters became accomplished artists, but this is the story of Monique painting her way out of the pain of losing Suzanne. Together, they traced a life marked by shared childhood, creative calling, illness, and the ache of saying goodbye too soon.
This memoir does not rush past pain, but it also does not end there. Through Monique's creative process and story of loss and survivor's guilt, readers are invited to see how love, faith, and beauty can coexist with sorrow—and how even in loss, a life can continue to speak.
Explore the interactive online memoir
The online version of With Every Brushstroke is designed as a chapter-by-chapter journey, pairing each part of the story with curated paintings, photographs, and moments from Monique's artistic and creative healing. You can scroll at your own pace, lingering over images, clicking on periodic media content, revisiting sections, and allowing the narrative to unfold visually as well as in words.
Because this is a rich, image-based experience, it is best viewed on a larger screen with a stable internet connection. The memoir is presented as a continuous, immersive story rather than a traditional blog, offering a quiet space to read, watch, and reflect.
When you're ready, step into the full experience:
Enter the online memoirFrom web project to book
With Every Brushstroke began as a personal project and gradually grew into a full memoir and art collection. The online version allows readers to encounter the story and Monique's paintings wherever they are, while a future print edition will offer a more traditional, tactile way to sit with the work.
In time, this site will also host updates on the book release, events, and ways to share Monique's art and story with others who may find comfort and recognition in it.
About Monique and Suzanne
Monique is a figurative painter whose work captures small moments—faces, gestures, landscapes—with a depth that often reveals more than words could. Her art is the visual backbone of With Every Brushstroke.
Monique shares her story of loss and healing in this memoir. Through her writing, she traces life as a twin, the crisis of illness and loss that befell her twinship, and the surprising ways faith and grace took root in the middle of it all. This memoir is both a tribute to Suzanne and a testimony to the God who walked with Monique—step by step, with every brushstroke.