The Empty Nest, found in places that one may not expect: old canoes, under eaves, flower gardens, and along the sides of roads. The nest is this spectacular vessel that takes countless hours to create. The careful selection and arrangement of particular materials used is a work of art in its own right. Yet, the nest is not just this fantastic object found in nature; it also represents life and the possibilities of what could be and what has been.

This vessel holds the birth, dedicated parenting, and the growth of new beings in the world; from the very young, up to the time of flight, to the flight itself. The empty nest also evokes the quietness that accompanies it—just an empty vessel, devoid of calls, sounds; the sense of loss. This examines the inevitable dichotomy —an undiscovered freedom infused with an acute sense of longing.

The works for the “Vessel Series” below represent these feelings and unveil the journey of The Empty Nest. The beauty of the nest that reclaims an interlude in time, and rediscovers tender memories with a renewed sense of clarity that accompanies solitude. Yet, in the same breath, there is the profound sense of loss, and the void left by the once vibrant life that made the nest a home is often immense.