Messages in a Bottle

10" x 10" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor by trade and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if the two of us are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this connection of hands, hearts and DNA, which points to the fact that we are all in conversation with our past (whether it's conscious or not), and perhaps we can heal backwards in time! The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $295

10" x 10" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.  I never met my grandfather. He was a tailor by trade and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if the two of us are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this connection of hands, hearts and DNA. In doing so, I aim to reflect the larger themes of belonging and love in one's ancestral lineage, to suggest that we are ALL in conversation with our past (whether it's conscious or not), and to offer the radical suggestion that perhaps we can heal family wounds backwards in time. The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $295

10" x 10" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this connection of hands, hearts and DNA, perhaps pointing to the fact that we are ALL in conversation with our past (whether it's conscious or not), and to offer the radical suggestion that perhaps we can heal family wounds backwards in time. The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection.  

10" x 10" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.  I never met my grandfather. He was a tailor by trade and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if the two of us are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this connection of hands, hearts and DNA. In doing so, I aim to reflect the larger themes of belonging and love in one's ancestral lineage, to suggest that we are ALL in conversation with our past (whether it's conscious or not), and to offer the radical suggestion that perhaps we can heal family wounds backwards in time. The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $295

10" x 10" Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past -- whether it's conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal "backwards" in time? The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $295

11" x 11"  with blonde hardwood frame Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.  I never met my grandfather. He was a tailor by trade and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if the two of us are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this connection of hands, hearts and DNA. In doing so, I aim to reflect the larger themes of belonging and love in one's ancestral lineage, to suggest that we are ALL in conversation with our past (whether it's conscious or not), and to offer the radical suggestion that perhaps we can heal family wounds backwards in time. The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $375

10" x 10" framed (blonde hardwood) Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past -- whether it's conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal "backwards" in time? The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection.  

11" x 11" framed (blonde hardwood) Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past -- whether it's conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal "backwards" in time? The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection. $375

10" x 10" framed (blonde hardwood) Mixed media on wood This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.   He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past -- whether it's conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal "backwards" in time? The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection.  

36" x 36" Mixed media on wood This is part of a series inspired by 100 letters written by my grandfather while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I.  I never met him. All the artwork in this series bring forth the feelings, passions and ideas he wrote about, or are derived from the physicality of the stationery, handwriting, stains, etc. This series references how immigrants have persevered through darkness, after persecution or great despair, to find their way to a distant, more hopeful shore. Like my grandfather, who fled the pogroms of Eastern Europe and then proudly fought as a U.S. soldier in the "Great War," so many immigrants have held their commitment to America – with all its promises and pitfalls – as a deep honor and privilege. The phrase "With the Colors," which was printed onto the U.S. Expeditionary Forces stationery he used, stands as a solemn and heartfelt term for the American flag. Each painting in this series embodies the immigrant's dual perspective – like a message in a bottle drifting across vast waters, carrying hopes and memories within: one part facing backward across the ocean to family, streets and villages left behind, and one part straining forward toward an unknown horizon of possibility. Just as my grandfather's letters carried both longing and determination across the ocean, these paintings hold the tension between remembrance and reinvention that defines the immigrant experience. The phrase "with the colors" takes on deeper meaning in this context – not just allegiance to a new flag, but the act of carrying one's own colors, one's own culture and heritage, into the American tapestry. Each immigrant's journey represents both a [...]