"Luca"

I'm getting very tired of seeing my daughter's name as follows:

"Luca"

In quotation marks.

As if she were some idea, title, or concept.

As if she was some "thing" that might have happened, but fell short. A failed project, prospect, or possibility. 

As if her heart beat didn't quit until the last second. As if she never had a heart beat...

As if she wasn't a real human baby, because she only made it to five months instead of nine...

I would like to apologize to my friends and family who donated money to "Luca".

 Because in the end, that project had nothing to do with her.

I promoted it, thinking it did. I was wrong.

There is "Luca", and then there is my daughter, Luca.

I made the above art work with her in mind through the whole process.

I went out into the woods in Plymouth with my little 35mm plastic camera. I shot
some double exposures. This one was simply taken by one straight-on shot, doubled on another with the camera turned upside-down on the same scene, on black and white film.

 In the middle of the fame, I saw "LUCA", framed. I couldn't have planned it if I tried. The branches did the work for me.

 I listened to music, painted the light spots in with watercolors.

 I hadn't used watercolors for quite some time before that, it was really nice.

 I did it for her. And I loved it.

Out of anything I've ever created, It's my favorite.

Because I like to think she helped me out with the coincidental placement of those branches.

I'd expect no less from my daughter.

:)