What Makes Night Within Us May Leave Stars

2023

63” x 22.5”

Acrylic ink, Spray Paint, Charcoal on Wood Assemblage

“What Makes Night Within Us May Leave Stars” is a quote by Victor Hugo, relaying a reminder to us that the darkest of times may spark of good intermixed with the bad. This piece is about the importance of balance between “good and evil”/light and dark/good times and bad. We are all built of both. Trees in my work symbolize Eternity or the passing of Time, a representation of what is holding everything together. The two symmetrical figures are the balance of the human: one woman has a menacing expression while the other is serene, yet they are both the same person. I am also emphasizing the Feminine with the shape of the two figures and their central presence in the tree. At the top and bottom of the piece are two cities which represent the mind: The dark city is crumbling and falling into a giant crevasse. The white city is whole and beautiful. These are the balancing juxtapositions of our minds, reminding the importance of not dwelling always on the negative. While the top of the tree is technically the top of the piece, it is designed to be hung either way: do you feel the darkness is rising, or the light?