Memory: Grief for a child not known Sponsored Prize - Universal Art Supplies (Kennedys)

Memory: The grief for a child not known.

How can one grieve for the loss of a child and feel emotionally connected to them yet has only met them once?
The artist set out to explore her guilt for grieving the loss of her 3yr old Great Niece in August 2021. Whose life she had lovingly watched unfold on social media, text messages and phone calls, yet was forced to stay away due to both geographical challenges and the pandemic.

Understanding that the weight of her guilt came from not being able to protect her young Nephew from this pain in life, she began to explore the concept of protection and reincarnation/renewal.

A mermaid's purse.
A giver of life, a protector in the oceans, a container for memories, wraps around new energy and tossed and turned around through turmoil, survives.

The shadows of both my Nephew and his Daughter on either side of this protector.
Outside of the Mermaid Purse
A brass wire acts as the symbolic representation of the gold once used in Egyptian rituals of reincarnation, here to keep memories of this child stay alive and restore the life that was once pain-free for her family.

Three pieces, based on the concept of a scroll, using mixed media, charcoal, pencil and oils on large format paper and trace. 3 x pieces in the 1 piece.