I am working on a new series, personal narratives of loss, which I am entitling "Holding On." This series focuses on the things we hang onto after losing someone who has been important in our lives. Loss touches everyone, and the longer we live, the more we are touched.

The photographs in this series are simple, only hands cradling an object that once belonged to someone beloved. I am interested in the relationships we create with these objects, in the sacred significance we place on them. They remain a connection to the people we have loved, and holding on to objects owned or used by those we have lost is a way of holding on to the people themselves. We look at these inanimate items, and we see the people we love and miss, we remember their influence on our lives.

These first photos in the series are of my hands holding objects that belonged to my dad, Tony, my son, Ryan, and my great-grandmother, Esther. There are other people whom I have lost, like my grandpa Al, but in doing this project, I realize I have nothing tangible that once belonged to them.

This post is a call for others interested in being a part of this series and sharing their stories of loss through art. I am interested in hands of all sizes, skin tones, shapes, and ages-- the more diversity, the better. If you live close to where I do (southern Illinois) and would like to participate in this project, please contact me via email. Click on the "Contact Me" link on this website or send me a message via facebook.

It is my intention to create a powerful and beautiful body of art, exploring a theme universal to our human existence. I would really appreciate adding your story to mine.

Until next time...

Anne