A series of artworks and written entries that depict my ever-conflicting struggle of what it means to be alive. All of the works posted here are my own and contain a variety of printmaking, painting, and drawing processes. Please refer to my Instagram: @berriestephanie or my website: stephanieraeberrie.com for my work outside of this series. Thank you.
Update on the latest roadkill: I have the first etch done and will be starting the second etch this week. I have a feeling I shouldn't proof it until I'm where I want to be with it, just to keep things exciting 😂... but, mainly because I am lazy.
Working on a dead bird head for a new intaglio print. Using graphite to draw into soft ground, so the final print should look similar to the drawing here.
...Being so thin that the passenger’s airbag wouldn’t turn on made you feel like you could fly, didn’t it? The older I get, the less I can remember from those days, but that’s probably a good thing. I’ve found many more dead baby birds this year than last, but maybe that’s because I’ve been outside more.
I’ve been having too much fun with mezzotints lately- here’s one that I’m currently working on for this series. My friend sent me a picture of a picturesque dead pigeon and I couldn’t resist 💖
...Around this time last year I started walking daily around my neighborhood. My apartment complex is located right next to a run down cemetery, so I would frequent that cemetery to watch the birds, rabbits, marmots, deer, bugs, and the other creatures that crawled around there. I would every once in a while come across an animal that wasn’t alive and would document its stages of decay. A lot of my work has to deal with death, decay, and rebirth, and I wanted to bring that back into my work with these carcasses that I call my “roadkill diary.” I’ve come to really love that cemetery because I think it portrays this cycle perfectly.
2020 had been a hard year for all of us, and I had my own hardships as well. There were many deaths of loved ones that year for me- some pets, some family members, some friends… I found solace in my daily walks and documenting the roadkill to help cope with what I couldn’t control. There’s growth and rebirth in death, and the walks around the cemetery helped me to remember that.
…plus, I have a minor obsession with the macabre :)