Project Description

This is a poster that I made to memorialize my twin brother Daniel who passed away on 4/16/15 and was given out to my family members to keep in their homes. Since April, I have been trying to figure out exactly how to grieve. I've dreaded this day for the past 5 months because I didn't know how I would feel and what it would be like turning 29 alone. The only thing that has made sense to me is to keep busy. I have hands and they need to be put to work so I don't just sit here and miss Daniel.

As a designer, I wanted to use my hands to create a special piece of art that would represent Daniel's life and give my family something to remember him by. So, I reached out to Wellington Payne over at Shed Labs to see if we could collaborate on this project. Shed Labs is a design and illustration studio based in Greenville, SC and they produce some pretty stellar screen prints.

I was not surprised by Wellington's extreme generosity and willingness to help. He really helped bring this piece to life and I could not have done it without him. Let me walk you through my thoughts behind the design.

In the center of the print is the year 1986. That was the year Daniel and me were born and also the year my parents were married. The background texture is actually Daniel's handprint. With his level of brain damage, he was never able to participate in art projects growing up, so this handprint is from one of the very few art projects he was able to do.

I went with a seafoam French Paper Co. stock for the print because that has always been my Mom's favorite color. She was Daniel's primary caretaker for 28 years and it just seemed fitting to use a color that she would love.

We ended up with an edition of 20 that I numbered and signed and sent out to my remaining brothers. I presented the number one from the edition in a frame for my Mom on her birthday in June and of course, she cried!