Transplant

Pencil and watercolor on watercolor paper, original 40” x 30” Giclée prints 20” x 24”

First I want to apologies about posting work this old (more than 10 years) but this is the most personal drawing I have ever created. Its not technically my best nor conceptually the most interesting but very important in my personal history as an artist. The process also released many demons, which is icing on the cake. The reason for the post is to stress what a great thing it is to really dig into your personal symbolism.

When my parents and I immigrated to the United States. My first morning in this new country as I was looking across the infinite flat land of lower Michigan, and my first pangs of homesickness hit. As I gazed teary eyed at this new landscape I imagined being a plant that was ripped out of a beautiful garden and transplanted in this vast emptiness. As the plant was lowered into this “grave” all colors faded. Instead of the flower leaning towards the sun, it bent towards to its old home and wilted in the process.

Twenty-eight years I produced this work, partly form an early sketch that I made that fateful day. The Geranium represents myself, the heart in the clouds symbolism my old home and the grandmother that was left behind. The planter is made out of barbed wire (it’s hard to see in this small version) this represents not having a choice in the matter, and the rectangular box “grave” is the vacant, lifeless country which was now my new home.

Thanks for looking.

/\\\