DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — With each stroke, Jessica Sebok creates a picture — and if a picture is worth 1,000 words, how much is a painting — or a memory?

"I love the process of capturing someone accurately," she said.

Sebok captures memories in her wide array of colors — from personal portraits of her husband to smiles hidden in a toddler's scribbles. But the most powerful memories are often bittersweet.

"I started to get into this when I had my own personal family losses," she said. "My instant instinct was to do a portrait of them."

Grief — like an artist's palette — is messy, a swirl of colors and emotions, begging to attach themselves to the canvas of our memories. Sebok used her are to process the loss of her grandparents. Now, she shares that gift with others.

"It's a huge honor," she said. "I love that there's something I can do. I think a lot of people, when someone has passed and someone is grieving, it's hard to know what to say, what to offer. It's cool I have something tangible I can make and make an impact on them."

Reagan Adams knows grief — but she also knows joy. Her wedding in September 2020 was picture perfect.

"The sky cleared up completely [after the rain]," Adams said. "The sun came out. It was a beautiful day."

But one thing was missing from that day — her little brother Tanner Gillen.

"When Reagan got married, it was a lot to know that [Tanner] couldn't be there," Sebok said. "She had put her wedding on hold while he was getting so sick."

Tanner Gillen died of brain cancer in January 2019. He was just 14.

"I miss him more than anything in this world," Adams said. "Tanner is not only my little brother, my baby brother — he's my best friend."

Sebok and Adams go all the way back to middle school art class in Warrensburg. The two kept in touch after Sebok graduated from Millikin University in Decatur and then left central Illinois. All of her art projects are important, but this one tugged at her memories.

"That's one of the most important and impactful commissions I've taken on," Sebok said.

Sebok got to work crafting a grief portrait like she had done many times before. As the watercolor painting dried, a tribute to her friend emerged. The finished product features Tanner dressed as a groomsman, laughing with Adams like he did so often for 14 years.

"I think that picture speaks 1,000 words about Tanner," Adams said. "All I wanted was for him to be there...and now I have this picture. It puts him there. It makes it real."

It's a memory Reagan may not have lived, but one that is worth more words — and stories — than she can count.

"Your story is always worth telling, no matter who you are or what you've been through or what your background is," Sebok said. "It's worth telling. It's worth painting."