The Depth of Migration is a painted interpretation of a photograph taken by my grandmother, Cece, and it comes with a story: after raising eight children, Cece and her husband embarked on an adventure of travel, driving an RV through all 50 states for 15 years and taking thousands of photographs that, as they often do, landed in shoeboxes. Many years later, my mother began digitizing all of these photos. I found one such photo of the cranes on her dining room table, and fell in love with the sense of peace and balance captured in the scene. I taped it up behind my easel, as a soft spot for my eyes to rest.

Though this painting began as its abstract background, it became a landing place for the birds, carried from their marshy pond to the ink on my brushes. A migration of the cranes, through three generations of women.

the depth of migration
11” x 14”
acrylic ink + acrylic paint on canvas
2024