“Return of Hope”

When my mother moved her eight children to a new city after being unexpectedly widowed, she planted a redbud tree outside our kitchen window so that while we washed (many!) dishes, we could enjoy the birds that came to the feeder hung from its boughs and the brilliant blooms at the return of each spring. This carving honors my mother’s knowledge of how to bring beauty to even the most difficult of situations, cultivating healing amid loss. Always, she found comfort and connection through nature.

A macro photograph of my redbud tree, fifty years later, was printed onto Japanese paper, layered with multiple coats of encaustic medium, hand-carved over every inch (much like a woodcut), and colored with powdered pigment before being fused to become integrated into the beeswax. It is matted with museum glass and framed with a simple white wooden frame, which keeps the focus on the delicate and vibrant carving.