HOLDING ON, Letting Go
BFA SEnior ExhibitIon
Growing up in a small town in the South, there was not much to do to keep my attention as a little girl. When I was not running around the yard getting myself into trouble, I was doodling on every piece of paper in the house I could find. I was very rebellious as a child and my parents decided the best way to keep me out of trouble and keep my creative mind and busy hands distracted was to send me to my grandmother’s house. She was the only grandparent I had in my life and I was the only granddaughter, and this is what led me to walking to her house everyday, every summer for many years. It was at her house I learned to crochet, to sew, to make grilled cheese sandwiches, and to lick the spoon whenever I was given the opportunity. I collected many special memories with her in that house that I didn’t know that I would later miss.
As an artist, I have ideas and memories that keep coming back to me until they are addressed in some way. Painting or drawing a specific image allows me to convey a feeling that I want to include from my own experiences. With the passing of my grandmother I have learned how important all the little moments are and how hard they are to hang on too as time goes by. Producing art about these moments, whether they are painted or crocheted, allow me to live these moments all over again in a way that I will always remember.
INvitATION ONLY
Oil on canvas, 2024
Tea parties were exclusive,
Always just us two.
We might invite others
Like Wolfy and Winnie the Pooh.
It was still just us,
Eating Oreos and grilled cheese,
Enjoying the time we shared,
Treasuring times like these.
KEEP COMING BACK
Oil on linen, 2023
Like archangel nettle,
You keep coming back.
The sun beating down,
With bright greens and lilac.
You appear in my dreams
And stay on my mind.
As seasons change,
You, I will always find.
LEssons
Oil on paper, 2023
It started with crocheting,
But you taught me much more;
How to find joy in the little things
And how to go out and explore.
These lessons are priceless
And follow me wherever I go;
Lessons I didn’t anticipate
But ones that let me grow.
Tradition
Oil on paper, 2024
Baking with you
Was a recurring tradition.
We’d make fudge and cakes,
Always with love and ambition.
Every time we baked
You’d let me lick the spoon.
It was a tradition in itself,
A tradition gone too soon.
Like the gold around your ankle,
Your spirit was so bright.
Moments where you lit up
And sparkled in the light.
You would always make me smile
With the funny things you said.
You were as good as gold,
A light that continues to spread.
Good as Gold
Oil on canvas, 2023
Rearrange
Digital, 2024
Each piece has its place
I had things planned out.
I’m a creature of habit
Achieving things without doubt.
Then you went away,
You made everything change.
Things would never be the same.
You made me rearrange.
1975
Oil on linen, 2023
In the year of 1975,
This truck rolled off the line;
Destined for greatness
And sporting a new shine.
Driven by so many before
Each scratch and dent has a past.
Adventures and journeys
With memories built to last.
Delicate
Tender and fragile
Like softly draped lace.
My memories of you,
I try to keep in place.
Sometimes hard to see,
I try to make them clear.
Through the dense fog,
I wish you would appear.
Embroidery and hand-dyed fabric, 2023
undone
Looking back now,
I see the times we shared.
Perfect times falling apart,
Missing pieces that can’t be repaired.
I dwell on my regrets,
Things I should have done.
All the things left unsaid,
Unknown, unraveled, undone.
Crochet granny squares, 2022
Holding on, letting go
Oil on canvas, 2023
Thinking of times I held your hand,
So many of them in the past.
That feeling is so different now
When I know this time’s the last.
They say you’re in a better place,
But I’m left here still holding on.
Now I’m having to let you go,
Realizing now, you’re really gone.
missing
This first winter without you
Feels colder than the rest.
The harsh, freezing wind
Releasing thoughts once suppressed.
Haunted by empty spaces,
And the things belonged to you,
I focus on times complete
And the warmth shining through.
Digital, 2023
When time stood still
Digital, 2022
Time had been ticking by
That brisk early morning.
Walking into the room
My feelings were storming.
Nothing prepared me,
No one was at fault,
But when you were gone
Time came to a halt.
bittersweet
Oil on linen, 2022
Teacups and saucers
Once displayed with pride,
Now gently tucked away
In a cardboard box to hide.
Delicate and fragile
Like the memories that follow.
Then, brimming with color
Now, stained blue with sorrow.
pivotal
Despite all the bright light
Shining through the glass,
This day is so pivotal
No other moment can surpass.
Like a wilting flower,
Your spirit fades away.
With each crumbing petal,
Your departure is on display.
Oil on paper, 2023
Dear grandma
To my dear Grandma,
Nothing is the same nowadays.
But through every little change,
I will love you always.
I envision your smile,
Moments when you were near.
With all the stars in the sky,
I just wish you were here.
Oil on linen, 2023
This feeling
This feeling is unmatched,
Driving down a country road.
Thinking about this moment
As time suddenly slowed.
The sun shining through,
The warm breeze in my hair,
I feel connected to you
And know you’ll always be there.
Oil on paper, 2024