All my ancestors were immigrants. In fact I would not exist if they had not immigrated. My grandmother would not have met my grandfather here in Canada if she stay in the Ukraine.
Simple as that.
I have always been proud that my mom’s mom (featured in this portrait) came to Canada alone when she was 26 and could not speak any english.
I often wondered why at 26 she was not married and what if anything happened that made her make such a journey. But we did not ask those questions growing up, it just wasn’t done.
My grandfather on my mom’s side immigrated from the Ukraine as well. They met in Drumheller where my mom and uncle were born and raised. It’s one of the reasons I was happy to have had the show “How I Got Here” at the Western GM Drumheller Gallery. I think my grandma would have been proud.
I think of this image of my grandmother today because I used her passport photo to create the piece. This piece was purchased a couple of years ago by a judge, which I find ironic considering the current ban on immigration put in place by the Trump administration in the USA.