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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
I was going through what thousands, maybe millions of others were too: a realization that you can’t choose who you share blood with, but you can choose your family. That you have to. Because love is more than a word, and sometimes loving someone—really loving them—means action, and sometimes that action is a killing. A pruning. Cutting dead roots which smother the plant, because the cutting isn’t the violence the stealing of sunlight is. Starving another is. Because you have to realize, at some point the fantasy does that too. Starves the love that really is there. You have to realize that by letting the sick leaves stay, you rob the healthy ones of sunlight.
So, momento mori. Remember death. Not just as the end of a road which will come to a point of either peace or regret, but as a present reality: One thing dies or another will. Either an idea of a big happy family and unconditional love, or a small, loyal unit. One that has conditions. But not capricious ones, but conditions like: I won’t let others hurt you and I trust that you will do the same for me.
This painting started as a still life. There was a bust in the studio I was working in that I found interesting. But the color and the detail departed from what I saw before me and became what was in me: a meditation on Good Death, and Conditional Love. To me this work is not about the pruning. To me it’s about peace. About the leaves that get to be sun drunk because of what I have left behind.
by Zach Sheram
We pride ourselves on creating unique and accessible art for all. Pricing begins at $25 for an unframed 8×10 before tax and shipping. If you’d like to order a print, please fill out an inquiry form to get an exact quote for your piece. We offer free consults to help determine your framing needs!
I was going through what thousands, maybe millions of others were too: a realization that you can’t choose who you share blood with, but you can choose your family. That you have to. Because love is more than a word, and sometimes loving someone—really loving them—means action, and sometimes that action is a killing. A pruning. Cutting dead roots which smother the plant, because the cutting isn’t the violence the stealing of sunlight is. Starving another is. Because you have to realize, at some point the fantasy does that too. Starves the love that really is there. You have to realize that by letting the sick leaves stay, you rob the healthy ones of sunlight.
So, momento mori. Remember death. Not just as the end of a road which will come to a point of either peace or regret, but as a present reality: One thing dies or another will. Either an idea of a big happy family and unconditional love, or a small, loyal unit. One that has conditions. But not capricious ones, but conditions like: I won’t let others hurt you and I trust that you will do the same for me.
This painting started as a still life. There was a bust in the studio I was working in that I found interesting. But the color and the detail departed from what I saw before me and became what was in me: a meditation on Good Death, and Conditional Love. To me this work is not about the pruning. To me it’s about peace. About the leaves that get to be sun drunk because of what I have left behind.
by Zach Sheram
We pride ourselves on creating unique and accessible art for all. Pricing begins at $25 for an unframed 8×10 before tax and shipping. If you’d like to order a print, please fill out an inquiry form to get an exact quote for your piece. We offer free consults to help determine your framing needs!