Memento

 3.5" Length

2" Width

1" Height

Artist Statement

From the very start I've had what could be considered a surplus of grandparents. Both sides of my family divorced and remarried before I was born. I grew up with eight grandparents, twice as many as most people. Out of all eight, the one grandparent that was my favorite was my father's father. We called him Grandpa Vaughn.  As well as being a Vietnam War veteran, he was also one of the kindest, gentlest, and most loving souls I've ever met. He died from COVID complications two years ago on Thanksgiving. Because of the pandemic we had to wait until this past April to have a funeral for him. What's more is that I was supposed to be at the funeral, but my flight was canceled and I wasn't able to make it. I had to watch the funeral via Zoom, and wanted more than anything to be there to comfort my dad and the rest of my family. This piece is in his honor. The wood structure is obviously meant to represent a coffin. Within the coffin is a bullet casing used in the 21-gun salute at his funeral. The piece of fabric covering the top is meant to resemble the color palette of nursing homes. It is also inspired by the way the American flag covers a soldiers casket.