Oil Paint on Canvas
Amber Stars Amber Sunshine
Amber Doors to the Mind
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
She Who Went Before Me
Senior Seminar Thesis Work
Artist Statement
Acquaintances come and go but there are those friendships that stand the test of time. I was blessed to have such a friend who helped me understand the true meaning of unconditional love, loyalty and most of all, trust. This cherished sisterhood bond is very strong and even in death that bond cannot be broken.
As an artist and future art therapist, I have always turned to my art and the creative process for personal empowerment and as a coping mechanism for stress. My best friend Dana passed away on May 18, 2010, and in working through my grief, I envisioned the beginnings of a project to honor her. It has developed into the memorial you see today.
Inspired by the poem Dried Flowers written by Dana, I referenced nature in oil painted images of roses and used earthenware ceramic pieces to create the center sculpture piece and the five smaller vessels. The roses represent the Kubler-Ross model, commonly known as The Five Stages of Grief. The paintings are in order from left to right as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. They represent my growth process through my grief but also Dana's ascension into heaven. I believe that my grieving process and her ascension are a spiritual journey that she and I took together, culminating with her arrival into heaven and my final acceptance of her death. Earthenware clay was used to represent the body's return to earth in burial. God created man in his own image from dust of the earth and in death we return to dust. Dana is no longer physically with us on earth but she is still here in spirit.
In any growth process a person’s ultimate goal is to emerge stronger and enlightened from the experience even if the outcome is not one that you anticipated or even like. I did not expect Dana to die, nor am I happy she is gone. I have accepted however that she is no longer with us on earth. I am at peace knowing that she lives on in my memories and heart. Spiritually she is always with me and now she has a spiritual home that her loved ones and I can visit: a memorial for her soul to dwell, illuminated in light and admiration.
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