You can’t take it …

“You can’t take it with you…” is about being swept away by the sea of life, of motherhood on my end, but I was also thinking about the refugee or immigrant experience, especially when children are involved.

My artwork revolves around objects and how they can moor us. But so many people need to leave everything behind. I thought a lot about the book “Teacup”, by Rebecca Young when making this piece. A boy is forced to leave his home on a boat with next to nothing. He brings with him a teacup filled with soil and a seed from his homeland. On his long trip the seed grows into a tree that he plants in his new land. It is poetic and beautifully illustrated with paintings by Matt Ottley.
After making the piece, I also came across this artists’ book—“Paper Boats” by Lyall Harris and Patricia Silva. They had immigrants in Europe fold paper boats and be photographed with them. A powerful book about the loss of identity through immigration.
https://www.abaa.org/book/997576498

“You can’t take it with you…” began as a pop-up screen print for the “Worldbuilding” portfolio organized by Janet Ballweg and Troy Richards in 2016. It was the first piece I completed after the birth of my son as my whole life was in transition. This quiet view of a dining table slipping into the sea seemed a strong metaphor for inevitable change.