Good Bones

This is a custom piece I made a while ago for a lawyer who works with children.

He asked me to make him a piece of artwork with Maggie Smith’s poem Good Bones (contains strong language and adult themes). I struggled with how to do this lovely, devastating poem justice. After he purchased a copy from the author, I made a collage with the words printed out at different sizes and ripped into pieces, forming a tree of life. The repetitive and anxious text made me think of rumination, and I scattered many words deep into the roots and branches of the tree.

Since this poem is not my work, instead of a commission for the visual art, I asked him to make a donation to an organization that helps LGBTQ+ youth.