This was the first piece of my Hiraeth series and it began as a technical experiment. I wanted to give my oil paintings an edge and a raw quality to them while maintaining a softness, with both a masculine and feminine influence.
This painting is about my love of water. I am always drawn to water and I feel like I could live in it. I also have recurring dreams of dying in it. When I was a child I used to pretend that I was a mermaid when I was playing at the beach. Which is fitting, I suppose, as my Anishinaabe name is Beaver. This painting is my heart speaking to the "great sea" and telling her that I love her. It is of finally being able to speak of my heritage and embrace my family history and who I am.
This painting is about my love of water. I am always drawn to water and I feel like I could live in it. I also have recurring dreams of dying in it. When I was a child I used to pretend that I was a mermaid when I was playing at the beach. Which is fitting, I suppose, as my Anishinaabe name is Beaver. This painting is my heart speaking to the "great sea" and telling her that I love her. It is of finally being able to speak of my heritage and embrace my family history and who I am.