We Have Unfinished Business (Dear Catherine)
Catherine Luu

Black ballpoint pen on Somerset Western paper
NFS

We Have Unfinished Business (Dear Catherine) explores a significant process of understanding grief. After the loss of my grandmother, I’ve become lost in time and space. I have created fifty-one ballpoint garden drawings that present the processes of seeking for a purpose again after dealing with the loss. The drawings depict the decaying of plants, flowers, tree branches and roots. The idea is to bring attention to the chaotic and “ugly” parts of a garden; a piece of land that is usually romanticized for its beauty. Throughout the journey I have learned  that my inner child needed healing. My past trauma re-emerges into my present, where specific moments from my childhood continues to haunt my present. This work explores the first chapter to healing my inner child; a process so fragmented, abstracted and complicated that allows for slowing down, and understanding of our own unfinished businesses in this lifetime.