The series Tender Alchemy centers itself around this continued connection to my late father. It is a discovery of the transformative powers of deep connection, memory, and death. I was a child when my father left his body, and after his passing I could no longer remain the same child I was before. I was altered, transformed through grief into something else. These works are an attempt to reconnect with my inner child, the girl I was before death changed me. The bold and vivid child I hid away in a misguided attempt for protection. The colors used in this series are the hues I visualize this tender-aged child anchored in. The colors are also connected to my father. After concluding that this series of works were going to contain hues of Pink, blue-greens and black, I stumbled upon a photograph of my father that was taken a few months before his death. The colors of his clothing matched the colors I had previously chosen for this body of work. These colors are representative of the depth and transcendence of our connection.

Alchemy is present in the conversion of base materials, such as powered gypsum, bulk fabric and lumber, to solid works that are held in supportive frameworks. These modest materials are transformed through craft, skill and devotion to become bold offerings. Offerings to honor the child I was before the transmuting energy of death and grief touched me. These works also embody tender moments that represent the soft and gentle parts of our psyche. The parts of us that can be left raw and ginger to the touch after being wounded. Tender Alchemy is about the healing and honoring of the parts of ourselves that sometimes get hidden away