“Ashley Gives Life” 

“Ashley Gives Life” is a memoir for Ashley Wolfe, daughter in law of Beth Pierce. Ashley was a strong and beautiful woman who found out she had stage four lung cancer while she was pregnant. When Ashley decided to delay treatment she displayed something only a mother could understand, valuing the life of her unborn child over her own. Even though Ashley is no longer on this earth, Beth keeps her spirit alive through fond memories, and in the two grandchildren Ashley brought into Beth’s life.

This painting on wood is a visual representation of Ashley’s spirit in relation to the earth as the mother of all life. Seen in the imagery is a dogwood tree that symbolizes purity, rebirth, and ancestry. As the tree evolves with the changing of seasons, the woman who resides within the tree also transforms throughout a pregnancy. In the Spring the pregnant woman is not yet showing but has a flower to display the unseen life she is carrying. Throughout the Summer and Fall her belly grows with her unborn child. Lastly, as seen in the Winter, the tree mother holding her baby is surrounded by light energy illuminated by the moon, signifying the bonding between mother and child and the triumph Ashley had in giving birth. 

Through this piece Ashley’s love and strength can be remembered from a place of beauty and the full circle of life. Working with Beth and learning about her daughter in law Ashley was an honor, and it was my aim to commemorate who Ashley was through Beth’s eyes. I now feel connected to someone who I never had the chance to meet, and am thankful to Beth for bravely opening up about this experience.