Chasing Fireflies #1

Filipina American artist Rose Cameron continues with her "Interwoven States" collection with this small series titled "Chasing Fireflies." This work symbolically conveys her ongoing effort to rediscover and remember her past, her truth, and the life she abandoned in the Philippines. She abruptly left her native country at the age of 12 for America to escape the revolution and the uncertainty in her country. In the process, she left behind an idyllic world of love, family, and traditions. But in America, she was forced to deny her past in order to assimilate and escape the harsh racial discrimination she encountered, and continue to face even in adult life. "Chasing Fireflies" features the basketry weaving effect that the artist has become known for as well as the abstracted sampaguita flowers symbolizing the lost love, truth and family that she yearns for. Her discovery for answers and many aspects of her identity may never be resolved; they remain obscure and hidden under the rich layers of her paint and the intricate layer of abstracted lines and weaving effect that makes her work unique. She chases for her truth and light like she chased fireflies when she was a young girl.