But back to right now, I'm giddy with seeing my artwork on display at CNN.com! I was contacted by them over the summer about creating a work of art to commemorate 9/11, as we are now approaching the 10th anniversary of this tragic event. They asked that I respond to the event with the theme "Ripple" in mind. I decided to make a drawing with an image that I used recently in another drawing, the banjo boy playing next to gravestones, and to show a flutter of papers coming down towards him from the east.
As my statement on the site says, "One of the images that really stuck with me from September 11 was the fluttering of papers that flew out from the twin towers. I imagined very personal histories on each of those sheets of paper, from financial statements to family wills, day planners or even a saved birthday card. As the country learned more about the people lost in this tragic event, I sensed the wind carrying these personal stories, and the grief, across the nation. I think we all felt the papery debris fluttering down on us, no matter how far we were from ground zero."
I hope that this image will bring back the bittersweetness of the event; a tragedy that broke us down but brought us back together again, stronger and more resilient than ever.
Digital prints of this drawing are now available in my shop, and $3 of every purchase will be donated to the National Military Family Association.