About the Work:

I experienced a magical, fairytale-like childhood growing up in the Congo. I was fascinated by the lush tropical vegetation, the exotic animals and insects, the brilliant daylight, colourful sunsets and the orange-red soil.

I had the freedom to wander, explore, imagine and dream creating a strong emotional connection to my tropical jungle home. It was idyllic, yet there were real dangers such as tropical disease, poisonous insects, snakes and political instability.

I have returned only once to the Congo since I was a teenager as the danger from political instability and diseases such as Malaria and Ebola are a present reality, yet my emotional connection to this inaccessible place is real. The silhouette of longing, absence and sorrow embodies a deep connection between my unique exotic childhood and the present pandemic isolation. I continue to experience the strong influence of these formative experiences.

Each image is etched into a copper plate and transferred onto a piece of 100% rag Somerset etching paper. There are 25 signed images from this copper plate hand-inked and pulled on a hand-operated etching press.

This piece will be mailed to your address backed by a piece of matte board slipped into a thin protective plastic bag and enclosed in an envelope.

Follow my art adventure on Instagram @cornelius.karen

Karen Cornelius holds the Copyright on all her artwork. No image may be reproduced for any reason without the consent of the artist.