21W x 48H"

Clay, Paper, Canvas, Acrylic, Nails and Resin on Wood

Mounted on custom polished acrylic French cleat.

2025

What Hope Holds is about quiet strength.

It is built slowly and deliberately. Cut canvas, torn paper, formed clay, each piece shaped by hand and secured with nails. I return often to repetition. Small elements gathered together create something steady and grounded.

The bone tones keep the work restrained. Light and shadow move across the surface and reveal its depth. Nothing here is loud. Strength does not need to announce itself.

For me, hope is constructed over time. It is layered. It is patient. It holds.

The polished acrylic cleat lifts the piece slightly from the wall so shadow becomes part of the composition. Strength and fragility exist together, which feels honest.

-Christi Meril