Relic of My Childhood
2022
Oil on Wood, Collected Items
14 x 17
Relic of My Childhood is a piece about confronting my childhood fears of mortality in order to grow in my Catholic faith on my spiritual journey. Taking inspiration from iconography, Catholic imagery and items, and Catholic relics, I created my own relic of my childhood fear of mortality.
By placing important elements of my childhood that I associate with this mindset, such as childhood body remains, baby teeth and a piece of umbilical cord, I am honoring, protecting, and encasing them in love, just like a traditional relic. The painting of myself as a four year old literally puts myself into this relic, and allows me to deeply capture, through painting as a personal form of meditation, working through these fears as an adult and finding fulfillment in my work. A more classic, clear installation invites the viewer to pause for a moment and more closely examine a smaller, child-sized piece. Finally, the preserved moss base communicates that this is an earthly object, and that our physical bodies will all eventually return to the earth.
This begs the viewer to consider their own mortality.
By placing important elements of my childhood that I associate with this mindset, such as childhood body remains, baby teeth and a piece of umbilical cord, I am honoring, protecting, and encasing them in love, just like a traditional relic. The painting of myself as a four year old literally puts myself into this relic, and allows me to deeply capture, through painting as a personal form of meditation, working through these fears as an adult and finding fulfillment in my work. A more classic, clear installation invites the viewer to pause for a moment and more closely examine a smaller, child-sized piece. Finally, the preserved moss base communicates that this is an earthly object, and that our physical bodies will all eventually return to the earth.
This begs the viewer to consider their own mortality.
May 2022