Using botanical images as symbols for people and emotions helps me to process what I'm trying to say when there are no words to say it. In this piece, I was overwhelmed with missing my family during the pandemic. I used blueberries to represent my daughter, and spiky seedpods to symbolize feeling stuck. Using a wonky neoclassical design that morphs and explodes like a fountain, I symbolized the love, grief, and longing I was experiencing. The asters were also in abundance in my garden at the time. As my world felt smaller, my garden was my salvation.
