Artist: Rose Heflin

Medium: Mixed media – handmade paper (Abaca), drawer handles, flora

Size: 29.5″ x 22″ x 4.25″

I grew up barefoot, wild, and free—practically feral—in rural southern Kentucky, which instilled a fierce love of nature. Nowadays, I am both a poet and a visual artist. Recently, I started It Shall Come to Pass, a series consisting of handmade paper, senescent plant matter, and metal components. This piece symbolizes how our society, represented by the drawer hinges and hardware, is killing the environment that the flora embodies. This creates wounds that are hastening our own demise and associated scars, which are signified by the wisping and damaged stick and the aligned metal pieces, respectively.

The title of this piece is an original haiku. Rose’s award-winning poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies spanning four continents.