“Hope” tells the story of a young woman strangled by predestination. She’s alone, left only with remnants of a lost husband and child. She wants to transcend this tragedy and become someone new, but is unable out of fear and expectation.

The elements in this work are split into two groups. Located in the bottom half of the work is the woman’s past. The passage of time is shown from left to right starting with an entry from her husband’s journal early in their marriage. Then there was the birth and death of their child; his picture placed on the death announcement in the newspaper. And finally she received a letter relating to her the details of her husband’s death.

The second group of elements is what is above her. These are what’s expected of her, what she was born into, things she cannot change. Again starting from left to right, the green texture is the front cover of her family bible and the words from it bearing down on her mind. These words also represent her heritage and her German upbringing. A photograph of a Victorian astrological wheel is also placed to the upper left to symbolize how she feels her life was determined the moment she was born.

To the right is a butterfly that she can see but can’t seem to reach as she is weighted down by her past. She’ll have to move past the black mist and into the unknown before she will undergo metamorphosis.

Materials: The majority of the piece is paper collage with some photo paper included. The red background on the right side is acrylic and the black that lines the right side of the collage is fiber. A coat of matte varnish is the finishing touch.