The Tree of Hope
The Illustration
“The ‘Tree of Hope’ is the central positive force. The Oak reenforces that and encloses and holds the Tree of Hope. They both fully embrace the Grandparents. I used a photo of the ‘real’ Tree of Hope in the illustration. Developing my tree from it. This felt the right thing to do energetically.
“The Grandparents’ chairs like the trees fully embrace them. Their central narrative is based on the first moment; this is what we don’t have, this is what we have lost, these are our loved ones that we don’t see, are denied the right to see. In that moment, the situation has no compromise and all is lost. It in itself uncompromising.
“The Five acorns represent the Children, the ten letters the same. But in this moment the wife is seen clearly to be comforting her husband. She is not wearing her glasses, yet they are there. He is bent forwards into the photograph. Molly the cat is at his side to show more comfort and also to introduce us to the thought that animals know when we are sad. They come to us and will be with us. At this point I wanted to introduce positive change that would then drive the narrative of the illustration. The Wren observing the grandparents takes on an active role to change the days ahead. To bring about Hope.
“We the viewer have to presume that the tied-up bundles of letters written to Little You , all returned unopened act on the wren who then introduces Hope and breaks the unbreakable chain of letters always being returned unopened. In the far left corner, we meet those who the grandfather was looking at in his photograph. They are both in their home situation with drawings of grandparents, books about their grandparents and the things they used to do, but they are also seeking, with two children either crying or looking lost with a gift of love in the palm. Yet at the same time the child looking out is looking into the everywhere. Looking for my family is written on his tee-shirt. We see the Family there represented by the closeness that elephants show with one another making chains of connection.
“The fourth child, the girl we can presume has been writing on her wall wishing that Grandmother lived next door and so on. However, at this new moment after the first, the wren brings a letter from the grandparent and lets the child know that they are missing her as much as she is missing them.
“For me family stories give a sense of belonging. There is an old African saying that goes: ‘only when you know where you have come from, will you know where you are heading.’ Thus, there are two copies of the Yellow book of personal stories from the grandparents that underpin our own needs to understand our heritage and our lineage.
“Reading right in the illustration we then get the journey of the four children. They traverse the dark place where the fifth child is being kept and begin their search for their grandparents. This action is essential for change. I have depicted the children in the colours of the seasons, starting with spring (remember the birch represents new beginnings, so i didn’t want to start with Winter) The doors in the journey are in reverse so Autumn, Summer, Spring and when they reach winter it is yellow not black for winter. The narrative continues then in the left corner with the Yellow door. But one other point to the right-hand corner is the light that brightens their way as they seek their grandparents.
“So, in the lower left corner we return to the same image as above only there are subtle changes., The boy in green is now looking up, because the door is opening, and light is coming out. The boy holding the apple is looking at the apple, his gift of love. He is no longer downcast. The room is gone, and the walls are blank behind the children.
