At Rest

At Rest is taken from an image of a family member that I could not identify. It is an uncanny feeling to look at someone who shares your blood, yet is entirely a stranger. But by placing her in the painting I establish my own engagement with her. The frame of the painting reads, “I don’t know who you are, but I feel you here with me.” The image doesn’t show the identity of the person in question, instead I focus on her hands. This intentional cropping was made to signify hands as cultural holders. With our hands we eat, we hug, we touch, we talk. They not only carry culture, they actively engage in it.

Hands gently resting, representing a moment of familial peace and serenity.