Winding Roots

2015

Velum Letters, Resin, Balsa Wood, String, Beads and Pen

Installation spanning 127" x 150"

Permanent Collection of Nationstar Mortgaging Company, Dallas, TX

In this work, I explore the intangible, but strong connections that support and strengthen family bonds. Colorful resin sculptures hold letters I saved throughout my life. Some letters were sent to me on birthdays or graduations, others came while I lived in Morocco over a period of two years. Some contained words of encouragement and well wishes, while others told stories of daily life. I collected them like gems and looked at them often. Written expressions of love tied me closely to the people I care about, even though we sometimes lived far apart. In this installation, I cut the letters into the shapes of maps and roads to represent the distance they have traveled and then set them in resin. These gem vessels of communication are the metaphorical fertilizer in the roots of my family tree.