The Space Between Grief and Morning

Installation Shot, Charcoal on Paper, 2017   (Photo by Alex Barber Courtesy of Art League Houston)

This is a sample of the works in this series. If you would like to see more of the series for exhibition/collection purposes, please reach out through the contact link.

The Space Between Grief and Morning is an interdisciplanary series of works that metaphorically explores the process of grief and mourning in private and public contexts. In 2014, I lost my father. I had been his primary care-giver for over ten years, having moved him and my mother to live with me in Houston. During this time, I had taken care of every aspect of my father’s daily needs while witnessing the slow process of aging, disease, and its effects on the body. This body of work aims to take this very personal experience of loss and translate it to a larger audience by exploring grief and mourning in its various forms.

Installation Shot, Charcoal on Paper, 2017 (Photo by Alex Barber Courtesy of Art League Houston)

The series of high contrast minimal charcoal drawings are influenced by various tragic events that have occurred around the world that speak to our contemporary times. Murder, violence, migration, terrorism, and environmental tragedies are a few examples of the events that sparked the creation of these drawings. The drawings are sourced from press photographs that document the pain, suffering, and grieving of family members of these various events that have occurred globally. From these original press photos, I have distilled, fragmented, and restructured distinct moments that express painful loss in global terms and directly speaks to the contemporary state of the world. The title of each drawing reflects the specific location and date of a particular event that the drawing is referencing.

Orlando, Florida:  June 12, 2016, Charcoal on Stonehenge Paper, 30 x 44, 2017

Valais, Switzerland:  March 13, 2012, Charcoal on Stonehenge Paper, 30 x 44, 2017

Los Angeles, California:  July 24, 2014, Charcoal on Stonehenge Paper, 30 x 44, 2017

Pyongyang, North Korea:  December 17, 2011, Charcoal on Stonehenge Paper, 30 x 44, 2017

Brooklyn, New York:  February 11, 2011, Charcoal on Stonehenge Paper, 30 x 44, 2017