Statement
‘I Always Thought that I’d See You Again’ Artist Statement – Sheryl Parsons
Last August 2021, the morning after we arrived home from 2 days away for the burial of our 5 week old granddaughter Charlotte, I woke with James Taylor’s ‘Fire and Rain’ in my head. I’d always loved that old sad song and on that day it gave me some solace. I remember thinking ‘Hmmm, I wonder why this song came to me?’
Later that day, our son sent the link to the video of the burial service and there i was, the instrumental version of Fire and Rain. It seemed a miraculous moment for me because on the day, bitter sadness controlled all my senses and I did not remember even hearing music. But I realized my subconscious gave me an almost tangible way to remember an incomprehensible event for our family.
The painting shows our family during the procession to the grave site. As we walk through this dark corridor, our son holds out his arms to guide and protect his wife and Charlotte’s three siblings toward the future. In our minds, the fire of our emotions of loss, rage overhead and even though it’s a sunny August day, the reality of her death bites like bitter wind and rain at our backs.
“I always thought that I’d see you again, dear Charlotte.”
