There was great joy in caring for my children as they grew, matured, and inevitably separated to become accomplished individuals devoted to their own families. They are represented here in the years just before that transition, with the doors of the carriers left open – even though every instinct within me wanted to keep them closed. Even now, I continue to feel a profound longing for the closeness that accompanied those years. The desire for touch and physical presence does not diminish with time, nor is it replaced by our ability to communicate instantly through technology.

The Ede, Slew Series, and Family Portrait works are deeply personal visual narratives. Yet, when they are exhibited have proven to be a comfort to those who recognize kinship. While these works originate in my family’s story, they speak to experiences of caregiving, separation, memory, and enduring love that are widely shared.

My devotion to my family, together with my longing for the close-knit extended family I left behind as I married and pursued education and professional opportunities, remains a powerful emotional thread throughout my work. It is this enduring connection to both those who are present and those from whom I have been separated that continues to shape these narratives.