Life in Death | Original Celestial Moth Artwork on Katalox & Birdseye Maple
Life in Death | Original Celestial Moth Artwork on Katalox & Birdseye Maple
Sometimes art finds its name long after the work has already been finished.
When I finished this piece, I came across the poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The title “Life in Death” and the mariner's journey resonated with me so much, it felt as though it was telling my story. It wasn't the poem that inspired the artwork—my life did.
When creating this, I was reflecting on my own emergence from addiction and the version of myself that had been trapped by it. Like the mariner, I carried guilt, isolation, and the search for redemption. His curse represents living in a hell of profound guilt, alienation from nature, and inability to find peace. Lifted only by finding redemption and true empathy, but his penance was to wander, forever telling his story to others as a warning and a lesson. All of this mirrored everything in my life and how I continue to share my own story as inspiration for others.
The moth, coming out of death as skin and bones, symbolizes rebirth and transformation and the instinct to seek light even after darkness. The gold represents the riches of life that were ripped away and thrown in every direction but still holding on to the true and important parts of my life and keeping it close. I may have been stripped to skin and bones but I hold on to the life that matters. The lunar phases represent life's continual cycles of endings and beginnings, while the geometric forms speak to balance, fate, and the invisible structure that can emerge from chaos. The contrast between rich Katalox and luminous Birdseye maple reflects the tension between shadow and hope, death and renewal.
Details
- Title: Life in Death
- Dimensions: Approximately 12" × 12"
- Materials: Katalox and Birdseye Maple
- Medium: Acrylic paint on wood
- Finish: Satin sealer
- Original, one-of-a-kind artwork
- Ready to hang
Life in Death is a reflection on survival, redemption, and the realization that our hardest chapters can become the stories that help guide someone else home.