Mourning in America

I retired in January of 2020, and although I was hired back to UCSF a few months later to work on special projects for the Cancer Center, I had a few months where the world stopped and I stopped. During this time, I was deeply affected by the immense loss of life due to COVID-19. I couldn't help but wonder about the stories of those who had died and why, as a country, we weren't collectively mourning their deaths.

This period of reflection led me to create a series of self-portraits, capturing my own experiences and emotions during those shelter-in-place years. These paintings also reflect the consciousness of significant events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the deaths of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Lewis, and the staggering number of people dying each month from the pandemic.

"Mourning in America" is a deeply personal series that documents my inner journey through this tumultuous time. Each portrait is a window into the emotional landscape of living through a global crisis, grappling with grief, anger, and hope. This series serves as a visual diary of a period marked by profound loss and introspection, honoring the lives lost and the significant social movements that shaped those years.