Ember Bloom

2024

24x24 inches

Acrylic & mixed media on canvas

Currently on display at Hackensack Performing Arts Center

Ember Bloom centers a black rose sculpted from fabric, transformed to mimic molded plastic. Nestled into a richly textured bed of joint compound and painted with acrylic, the petals glisten under soft champagne gold wax, like embers stirring quietly beneath the surface. This glow speaks to the inner fire we each carry, a smoldering resilience capable of igniting a wild, powerful flame with the slightest spark.

Surrounding the rose, layered lines press in different directions, sharp, angular, and deliberate. These textured ridges represent the thorns we grow from survival. They are our defenses, scars, and barriers we build to protect the softest, most sacred parts of ourselves. This piece is both beautiful and boundary, fragile and fiery, preserved and sealed with care to honor its endurance against time, sunlight, and storms.

The rose, in all its depth and darkness, symbolizes our struggles, weathered and complex, yet still exquisitely beautiful.