As I grow older, dying has become more prevalent in my daily life. From collectively struggling against the repercussions of the COVID-19 outbreak to witnessing senseless gun violence, we have experienced incredible grief in the aftermath of death. These events and experiences have all occurred during a small window of time but have had a huge impact on how I have wrestled with what the beginning and end of life truly mean—with how quickly we take our first breath and how soon our last one approaches. Death ultimately gives meaning to our lives as much as it produces grief and anger in whom it leaves behind. Through this series of paintings, I wanted to face my own personal fear of death by visually portraying what the journey of dying might look like, what crossing over from this life to the next truly means.
