Emergence traces my journey out of the depths of grief, through acceptance and into new life. This series, which depicts my world in the dark years after losing my husband, won an Honorable Mention in the 19th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.

This work begins in darkness, life’s battles evident on my face in the form of scratches and other artifacts derived from antique photographic processes—vestiges of a visual language present in my earlier work. But in Emergence, I turn away from the ravages of loss, and towards light and hope. In a pivotal self-portrait, I come up to the surface gasping, after what seemed like eons underground. I find solace in sunlight; I dream of taking flight. Unlike my portfolios dealing with earlier phases of grief, there is more tenderness here than angst. I contemplate fruiting mushroom bodies, fed by the mysterious energy of fungal mycelium. Fog hides, then reveals the beauty of the landscape; foliage blurs and comes back into focus and sunlight shatters the darkness. I feel the precious touch of the beloved through the veil between the worlds and begin to see a path forward.

I look to the landscape as a mirror, reflecting my recovery after five years of grief. While my earlier work directly addressed the depths of loss, documented the treasures and detritus with which I was left, and delved into the universal nature of loss, Emergence is an invitation into a new phase of healing and hope.