This mixed-media piece, created with ink and watercolor, depicts the farmstead I called home as a small child. It\u2019s fascinating how the details of a place you knew at five years old can blur over time, but my initial sketches for this piece weren\u2019t far off. The only detail I misremembered were the number of windows on the house. Eventually, I found an old photograph tucked away in some family tree files, which allowed me to accurately capture the house\u2019s features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the corrections, the most vivid memories in this piece come from the large tree with the tire swing. That swing was a childhood touchstone, tied to countless afternoons. Inside the house there\u2019s the pink bedroom\u2014where my sister and I once hid in a mix of fear and excitement as the family tried to catch a bat that had found its way inside. The bat was stuck in a large curtain that went over the window of the living room that faced east. I remember surrounding the house, the shelterbelts of trees that my older brother warned me housed huge dangerous badgers that attacked people. At the time, I had no idea what a badger looked like, so in my imagination, they became monstrous, walrus-like creatures with sharp teeth, chasing me in my dreams. When someone pointed out an actual badger hole, I couldn\u2019t comprehend how those enormous creatures I\u2019d dreamed up could fit inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the surface of this painting portrays a serene and idyllic scene, a deeper look reveals an emptiness. The swing hangs still. The dog waits alone. This farmstead became a memory all too quickly after my parents\u2019 divorce. The farm was sold, and the family who bought the land replaced the house\u2014built by my family\u2014with a much larger one. Some of my classmates even bragged about watching the demolition, as if mocking what it had meant to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this house was more than a structure. It was built by my family, cultivated on land tended by my ancestors for generations. Through this piece, I wanted to honor one of its brighter days, as a tribute to my grandparents and the lives and future they built there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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