Journey From There To Here. Collage. Shelby Pizzarro

Do you ever wonder who you really are? Why are you attracted to some things and not others? Are you consumed by wanderlust or are happier to be close to home? Do you wonder if perhaps other members in your family share your emotions?

My Mom’s family is Eastern European, Polish and Russian. When growing up in Brooklyn we lived in the same building as my Grandmother, Zosia. My Grandfather, Anthony, died years before I was born, so I only know of him through the stories passed on to me.

This is the main reason I cherish my Grandparent’s wedding photo and my Grandfather’s passport.

The collage is an homage to my Grandparents. The substrate is canvas, covered with sewing pattern paper to give me a warm ground to build the collage. I stencilled the squares using metallic acrylic paint. I photocopied pages from my grandfather’s Russian passport on to tissue paper. I enclosed the paper with red string, a nod to my Grandmother’s belief in the power behind the talisman. The oak leaf, symbolic of strength and courage, was found in my back yard. The Polish quote on the wedding photo means “True Love Never Grows Old”. I placed both on red Ogura paper. The postage stamps are Polish and from the Soviet Union.

So, who are we…really. Do our ancestors influence who we are today? Can we trace our strengths to those who came before us? Zosia, Anthony…I like to think so.

Sisterhood of the Muse