Eternal

I created this piece in the weeks after my mother’s passing. It is embedded with the grief and loss I felt, yet it pays homage to my loving relationship with her. My mother was an environmental engineer whose commitment to conservation generated a love for nature and the environment for my sister and I. 

I began this work on the “Wildflower Trail” in my hometown of Huntsville, AL. My mother used to take us on nature walks often, so it was only fitting to choose an area that held onto such memories in the soil, trees, roots, and wind. The low branches I perch upon above a small stream symbolize my low feelings of grief, the branches above enclosing me symbolize my envelopment within nature during this time of healing as their enclosed gesture mirrors that of a mother’s womb. As I healed from her loss, emeshing myself within this tender space allowed me to reflect and heal.

After trekking through the cold January morning to create imagery to assist my painting process, I spent weeks in solitude creating this painting. During this time, I deeply processed through my grief and felt that through the honoring of my mother, I made peace with myself.