This piece explores defiance in the face of fragility. It is painted on copper that has been torched and acid-treated to accelerate decay, revealing vivid orange, red, purple, and turquoise patinas. Like life itself, the metal appears strong and unyielding, yet ultimately yields to time, exposing its inherent vulnerability.

In September 2020, I encountered a rare surge of Hemlock Looper moths – an event that occurs only once every two decades. Thousands filled the air while others fell into a rushing stream, caught in spinning whirlpools before being pulled beneath the rapids. Their brief, exhilarated flight reflects the fleeting nature of all life – an instant suspended in vast time.
How fleeting is life? Who will remember each of those moths, who exist in the exhilaration of an instance? I am alive and defiant. But one day my fluttering body will descend like the moths.