Northern Arizona University Students, Faculty and Alumni show during NCECA in Salt Lake City, March 25 – 29, 2025. Hand built porcelain, mason stains, fabric, burnt wood, 2 1/2’ x 4’.
The poem “Rising From The Embers” by Christie L. Starkweather served as my inspiration.
I leave the interpretation to each one of you. Maybe you see the overcoming of a personal situation, the regrowth of a forest after a wild fire, or the abundant flowers in a garden after the darkness of winter.
The dictionary defines bloom as “a state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; to mature into achievement of one’s potential; to shine out and glow; and to become more apparent or fully expressed.”
For me this installation signifies gratitude, expansion, maturity, and happiness after a period of darkness had ended.
Rising From The Embers:
As the embers of my olf self,
Still burn beneath my feet,
I look beyond the stars above,
Past my moments of defeat,
I’ve fought my share of battles,
And my wounded heart still bleeds,
But this person I’m becoming,
Has finally grown their wings.
I have risen from my darkness,
And all the pain, I’ve set it free,
So that I might be the person,
I was always meant to be.
Christie L Starkweather