Momento

Momento- A Tribute to Grandpa

Momento Artist Statement:

In class we talked about how mementos are physical memories of somewhere we've been or someone we've met. A few weeks ago, my grandpa died and I thought that making a memento that represents my memory of him would not only help me through the grieving process, but I could also send this memento to my grandma so that she would have a physical remembrance of her husband. My grandma and grandpa live on a farm, and for years my grandpa ran the small farm that provided enough food and livestock to feed everyone in the families. My grandpa raised about ten cattle every couple years or so in order to send meat to the whole family. Some of my fondest memories with my grandpa are walking out to the barn with him to feed the cows in the morning. The barn was a tall old building, and the light streaming in from the windows lit up all of the dust in the air. The hot and thick smell of hay filled the barn, and the floor was completely obscured with hay. For my memento I enlarged the ovular shape of the cow nose and covered it with raffia that to me, represented the texture of hay. The small knots on the sides and back of the form are meant to combine the hay texture with the color and form of dried roses. Dried roses remind me of the withered or dead flowers that might be present a week or so after a funeral or in a old vase. I chose to combine these aspects to represent my Grandpa when he was alive (in the barn), and when he is now dead (roses as remembrance). Finally, I made the base of the piece out of stacked balsa wood, to represent the height and old wood of the barn. The materials that I used for this project were: Balsa wood, raffia, and ink.

Sketchbook Drawings: