My work above is the last of my "Passing" series which includes, "The Passing of the Hippopotami" and "The Passing of Secrets."

When we are children, we have the gift of full life: of promise and future; of dreams of what will be. We are unaware of limitation or the concept of death; the child does not know that their time has an end; that the clock is indeed, “ticking.” The child is surrounded by dogs; two puppies that are full of life and are playful and inquisitive; they are observant of the light of life and of things “ticking” but not their significance. The older dog, close to his end and more aware, looks into the face of the death angel. The image of Mary, symbolic in this work of the creation of life, looks sadly at the child, as a mother is filled both with joy of life and sorrow for its end.

For me the central image is the light in the child’s hand: it is life itself. it parallels the big bang above which marks the beginning of all life and time.

A few elements from the Passing of the Hippopotami and the Passing of Secrets are included in this work: the balloons symbolize the dream of escape; the owl again symbolizes wisdom, of knowing and seeing all; the elephants represent memory and those that chronicle the truths of life. The death angel has the welcoming face of a grandmother yet her body is final, unforgiving, rigid, like a statue as death is final and even at times, welcomed and approachable. The entire scene takes place at the deep blue of night when our dreams speak to us.