“Veneration of Loss”

“Veneration of Loss” is a conceptual artwork series that honors lives affected by absence, grief, and remembrance. While a significant portion of the initial artwork represented lives lost to murder over a 13-year period in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the expression has extended beyond violence to include loved ones whose passing has left lasting emotional and spiritual imprints. Regardless of circumstance, each loss carries equal significance.

The project explores how art can awaken the presence of those lost—the neglected, the victimized, the perpetrators, and those taken by time or circumstance—whom the artist believes lose part of their essence through absence, leaving a void in the spirit of families, communities, and cultures. The work is not intended solely as a reflection of sorrow, but as an act of remembrance, reverence, and respect for lives once lived.

Veneration of Loss seeks to emphasize the importance of sustaining safety, compassion, and care so that loss—whether personal or communal—can be honored in both sadness and celebration. The work embeds a spiritual essence into creative expression, extending the presence of a once-lived spirit.