Monday, August 15, 2011

red.




i am very proud of the artwork on my body. my first tattoo holds heavy meaning for me; it's a symbol for my closest girl friend, who passed away in a car accident almost exactly three years ago.

on the day of hannah's death, i went for a long bike ride out in the country, and on my way home, i pedaled past a bright red cardinal that had been hit by a car. for all of its agility and awareness, i was shocked and horrified to see such a beautiful creature destroyed. a pit formed in my stomach. i felt drained not only from my trip, but also from what i had just taken in.
within a couple of hours, i received the phone call that, upon hanging up, had me huddled on my kitchen floor in a sickened ball of horrible emotions. it was like having a cannon ball blow straight through my middle. she was dead.

within months, despite unimaginable grief, i began the process of imagining how to use art to commemorate the closest soul to me. i finally chose to show her as a bird alighting on a hand. the cardinal was obvious. it had to have somewhere to come home. she had to have somewhere to come home. i wanted to show a hand accepting her in peace. and thus, my tattoo was made.

i will continue to add to my body art at times in my life, but this will always be the piece to show the calm landing of the girl who was always in motion. this is for hannah.

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