PROCESSING GRIEF THROUGH ART

 
 

Grief Plate / Art directive: Create a piece that is specific to preparing, serving or consuming a particular food. / Materials used: potter’s clay, loop tool, ribbon tool, potter’s rib, wood modeling tool, sponge, scraper, wire clay cutter

Grief Plate (2025)

In its most basic explanation, grief is the experience of mourning something - a relationship, goals, expectations or dreams, a loved one - that no longer exists. Inspired by the loss of a member of my chosen family, Rahviance (pictured), I began to think a lot about the grief process.

Since each of us processes grief and accesses comfort in such deeply personal and individual ways, I wanted to make something that could assist in the general grief process with enough versatility for any use. After questioning those around me, I found that the most common means of dealing with grief include:

  • Crying

  • Meditation

  • Spirituality

  • Prayer

  • Comfort eating

  • Tarot reading

  • Smoking cigarettes

  • FaceTiming/Zooming with loved ones

  • Using healing crystals + incense

  • Reading

  • Binging TV

DESIGN of The Grief Plate

It functions as:

  • A stand to prop up any number of items (Tarot spreads, photos, an iPad for movies, a phone, books, etc.)

  • An incense burner that can double as an ashtray

  • A plate with sections for food, crystals or anything else someone may want to include

  • A tissue holder for those (like myself) who cry a lot

  • A physical space reserved for grief in which one could sit, grieve and leave. There is always the option to return.

Its aesthetic:

  • Is coarse, without sanding or gloss, as a nod to the very raw experience that is grief

  • Displays a zig zag pattern around the perimeter as a reminder that grief is not linear, it will fluctuate, and that we all should give ourselves grace as we navigate the grief process in our own way.

 

La Fonte / #2 Pencil / 9x12 Mixed media paper (vellum surface)

La Fonte (2026)

My mom’s dystonia in her right hand and arm were the main source (la fonte) of pain due to a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease: Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) I practiced sketching still life, thinking of everything I saw in terms of shapes. Due to the dystonia, the hand was warped by permanent muscle contraction, making is vastly different to sketch than a typical hand.

She passed away on March 11, 2026. Admittedly, I have not yet had enough time to process this loss enough to give more details of this sketch creation.