Counting to Five with Sassafras (Deborah Goldman)

Counting is a concept underlying much of my work. It serves as a metaphor for the passage of time and the transitory nature of existence. The leaves on a Sassafras tree provide me with a symbolic method for counting. The photo of the oval, the "mitten' and the 3 segmented leaf are symbols for One, Two, and Three and in combination create Four and Five. Each leaf is photographed on a background painted with oil or acrylic paints. Archival Paper is used here.