The family tree

The family tree 2023
Acrylic on canvas/Acrylique sur toile
24 X 36 - 61 X 76.5 cm
 
This came in the midst of my search for the most meaningful way to leave a trace of myself after I die; for my children, grandchildren and theirs. In my adult years, I realized all the questions I never asked, never knew to ask, and now there is no one left to ask.  I remember the foreboding sense of hush around relatives that moved away never to come back home; what illness possessed that relative or another. What else is buried in the back yard never to be known.
 
There are so many stories in all us left to tell.  The things that used to cause shame, tarnish the family name, were not talked about.  Great losses and tragedies worn as shrouds of darkness to be carried a lifetime. All this darkness can be viewed differently and released. That is judgement’s trademark.  
 
It also struck me how distant we have grown from our roots.  Were we always meant to grow away, or is it because the world got bigger and so much easier to explore;  to go off somewhere to become.  While we can live anywhere in the world, technology allows us to all means of connection. Without judgement, it is simply different.
 
The universe saw fit to give me this lifetime, and I am making it my mission to leave my trail as I go.  I will never know the extent to which I impacted those around me. So, what will I leave behind? Paintings and stories; with the hope of indulging my spirit with a long-lasting presence.