virtus: valor, fortitude, strength

virtus is a body of work centered on the internal strength that comes from deep within oneself.

These works continue my reference to Saint Barbara, the protector against lightning and one of the 14 Holy Helpers in Catholicism. In virtus, the correlation of my long-felt fascination with lightening and my namesake is now earthbound. Recently, I found an attraction to certain roots, how they can mimic lightening in shape and form. Their duality is unmistakable.

However, while lightening in the sky holds a power for me, the woods have always given me strength for its comfort in solitude. Here, I attempt to understand the connection between the physical and metaphysical, for the energy to continue forward, yet grounded to stay strong on my journey.