As I worked through my grief and loneliness, feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty, and anxiety seemed to be my constant companions. Could I ever feel comfortable in a life without my husband? What sort of life would that be? This piece was inspired by the metaphor of a garden growing hopefully to enclose my anxiety and doubts. Thinking of this positive imagery helped me to cope with the distress I was feeling.I used tiny gemstones, glitter and many scraps of paper…
Suffering a loss can sometimes result in personal growth and resilience, offering unexpected opportunities for self-discovery. Rather than labeling these newly revealed possibilities as “gifts,” I prefer to view them as offerings. Unlike a gift, an offering provides the bereaved with more freedom to select what is helpful at any given moment, without the expectation of acceptance. I combined black Japanese lace paper representing grief with colorful iridescent paper representing hope shining through to create this canvas background. I’ve been…
I created this small canvas at the start of one summer. I longed for days, and vacations gone by. For me, grieving is not only about missing my husband, but also missing a state of mind and the way I felt in the world when he was still here. I recreated a scene on canvas based on an old photo of a favorite vacation spot. To convey the sense of distance I felt from those perfect days, I painted a…
I created this canvas in response to the deep sadness I was feeling while grieving. I needed to believe that something positive would eventually emerge from it. To depict my emotions, I painted the letters onto a pale blue background, and added “tears” by dribbling paint onto the canvas. To symbolize my hope, I incorporated blades of grass growing from the sparkling soil created using sand and gold glitter. I yearned to believe in the potential for new growth emerging…
The background of this artwork is cut from a watercolor wash that I experimented with many years ago. Using this paper from my past gave me a sense of continuity and promise. Despite the mix of emotions I felt while putting the canvas together, using this paper helped me feel a sense of connection to my past and my future. The twine was collected from my basement. The flower is crafted from a variety of papers with tiny beads creating…
Somedays, my heart still feels tired and bruised. Grieving and healing can be exhausting and overwhelming. As I wondered how to express the idea of my still tender heart, soft grey felt came to mind. I sewed this heart, adding a few bruises with blue and violet pastels. I then wrapped a muslin bandage around the heart, tucking in a broken feather to complete the feeling of healing injury. Feathers are symbolic of so many things to me, and I…
Doubt has the potential to overshadow my positive ideas and accomplishments, creating a dark curtain over all bright and hopeful plans. I drew the flowers for this piece with colored pencils, one of my favorite mediums. To represent the feeling of doubt, I created a mixed media “curtain” by dripping and marbling thick layers of paint. I then cut out the shape and placed it over my flower drawing. Though I wouldn’t say I liked covering the flowers, it was…
This simple piece was one of the first I created as I took tentative steps toward healing. I sometimes create flowers from paper, as I did with these snowdrops. The red paper heart is cut from scrapbooking paper, while the background paper was purchased from a favorite handmade paper shop. The flowers in the picture are Snowdrops, a symbol of renewal and hope. Snowdrops are among the first flowers to appear in early spring. Since grieving can feel like wandering…
Healing from loss has required tapping into resources I never knew I had. I often found inspiration in unexpected places. Clinging to the idea of hope in the essential goodness of life and the positive flow of healing was not easy, but I found even my darkest moments held promise if I remained open to possibility. This uplifting poem by Emily Dickinson expresses the universal quality of hope. Hope Is the Thing With FeathersHope is the thing with feathers –That…