“Ruth Ellen Kocher collection of poems titled “When the Moon Knows You're Wandering” explores themes of lost and found paths, of being perpetually lost and then found. The moon in the title poem serves as landmark, tool of navigation, and silent witness. The speaker, distracted by the world, wanders, spiritually and physically, searching for some anchor that will return her to a significant sense of "home." She becomes a migrant of sorts, finding her way by what is common to all of us-landscape, song, and memory. Resolution for the speaker comes not in the journey but in the return to the simple articles of a life, the things we call home.”

“The moon knows you’re wandering, even though the road thinks you’re home”

Inspired by Ruth Ellen Kocher collection of poems titled “When the Moon Knows You're Wandering” this new series of work will consist of a collection of paintings exploring connections between people, place and memory.

This series will explore these themes with a group of sitters, telling their own stories and experiences and seeing where their journeys have taken them and where they might yet lead.

There will be 3 paintings created for every sitter, capturing the thoughts and experiences of each collaborator involved in the project.  One large painting will be created placing people within environments that have a pertinent meaning within their lives and their family histories.

These compositions will show people wandering through these environments that are embedded with all their interweaving histories from the past and present captured in archival family images.

The second painting will focus on an individual object that the sitter cherishes. This object could be a family heirloom or hold the memory of a seminal moment from their life or family history.

The third painting will be a small intimate portraits focusing on the individual and created from drawings/sketches from the initial conversation.