Loss and Growth

My midterm project represents the idea of loss and growth. My grandmother passed away back in March and my grandfather the year prior. As one can imagine, it was a huge pill to swallow losing two very significant people in my life. Prior to their passing I never really experienced or knew what true loss was or felt like. So when it happened it felt like I lost my way, my guidance, and the people I relied on most. Something like a crutch ripped from under me. The loss of my grandparents forced me to truly find myself and find a reason to keep going. It was a super defining moment for me. 

            I’ve always had a connection to butterflies. But after my grandfather passed, I started to see butterflies around me way more than normal. Then when my grandmother passed, I started seeing butterflies everyday. I knew in some way that it was them telling me that they were with me always in spirit. I included a photo of me on my project in the Dominican Republic this past summer where I was photobombed by a butterfly. To this day I think it was one of grandparents. Butterflies also symbolize growth, which is what I have been doing tremendously ever since. 

            My two inspirations for my piece were from the artists Frida Kahlo and Mickalene Thomas. Frida Kahlo drew a lot of her ideas for her art from her family, death, and the loss of her unborn child. I found it interesting that she used yellow flowers to symbolize death, and so I did the same. As for Mickalene Thomas, I connected with her tedious technique of placing little crystals on her work. And so I placed each flower by hand on my piece and added a few crystals as well to pay homage.