In Her Father’s Arms

“In Her Father’s Arms”

16 x 20 inches

Acrylic paint and ink on stretched canvas.

When I was 8 years old, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, to have my head stitched together. Playing horsey with my older sister somehow led to a huge cut on my forehead that was gushing blood. That day, I remember the blood pouring from my head like a faucet. I remember laying on the couch with my mom, head back, reciting Psalm 23 as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I remember being strapped to a table so that the doctor could stitch me up. And finally, I remember my dad carrying me in his arms as my head rested on his shoulders, while he walked home from the hospital on B St. & Lehigh Ave. to our house on 6th and Mayfair St because we didn’t have a car. I was a little out of it but I do remember there was snow on the ground and my dad never put me down.

When I created this piece, I saw an abstract male figure on the right. I see the back of his head donned with a hat and scarf. In his arms is the abstract figure of a little girl, secure in her father’s arms. I’m grateful to have found this memory in this piece, and to be reminded of the spaces and places that have held me and helped shape me into who I am today.