harmony rings

2003
charcoal, oil pastel, permanent marker & india ink on paper
18" x 24"

for christmas one year, my sister bought me four silver rings, each bearing a small picture. she said they were called harmony rings, and she handpicked them to complement my personality and dreams. the pictures represent various things that she thought would be important things for me to do in my life or that i should one day accomplish, such as wishing on stars and sailing around the world. the other two rings represent love—any kind of love, not just the romantic kind—and watching the sunset over the mountains.

this piece is an abstract depiction of those rings, purposely disjointed and ambiguous to suggest a dreamlike state. to me, it is always important to dream, and the rings remind me to never stop enjoying the simple pleasures in life.