Fly Over Landscapes by Heather Walsh

Issue 164

Fly Over Landscapes questions what happens when our parents are no longer present in our lives and the new landscapes formed over time and faded memories. Through the grief, resiliency takes hold, and new life is breathed in, created from the depth of loss and sorrow. A glimmer of hope leads us forward.

In 2018, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and I began an 18-month journey flying from New York to the Midwest every six weeks to be by his side during the last days of his life. Each flight was more heartbreaking than the previous; I consoled myself by photographing passing landscapes beneath me. During the Covid-19 pandemic, alone in my memories, I began to layer the landscapes, using collage and painting techniques, revealing my personal journey of the healing process and transforming this traumatic experience into something bearable to live with.

Death was a chapter of his life, this work seeks to celebrate the beauty and sorrow, the ever-changing landscapes of when we love another, and life itself.

Heather Walsh (she/her) is based in New York and lives on Long Island, NY.
www.heatherwalsh.com | @heatherwalshphotographs

All images © Heather Walsh