a portrait of her

 

In A Portrait of Her, I create a mystical portrait of my great-grandmother, whose story has remained a family secret. The two things I know about her are that she experienced domestic abuse and she died by suicide when my grandfather was ten years old. My family's narrative of her story involves anger and hatred towards women in general. I seek to share a different story, one of love and curiosity. I have always felt connected to her and wanted to know about her life, but have never felt comfortable enough to ask my family. 

While creating this body of work, I relied solely on my imagination and intuition. I use self-portraiture to explore and embody who my great-grandmother was, honoring her pain, while also tapping into her joys and loves. I see her soul in nature, telling me the story of who she is...

 

And I create these photographs as offerings of my gratitude for her. 

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