The light will guide you

Neon Roses is an installation dedicated to the light that love brings. Inspired by the memory of a loved one, it was created to display love and happiness as a shower of roses. Red roses carry a universal language of passion and beauty, yet every rose comes with thorns. That tension mirrors the human condition. Each thorn can stand in for a trying time, a painful memory, or a moment of sorrow. Each bud can represent a beautiful memory, a moment of triumph, or a gesture of love.

The first element is a room where forty four roses hang from the ceiling as if they are raining into a bouquet on the floor. Multicolored LED lights are hidden within the scene and cast an ambient glow that shifts gently. The atmosphere feels like a soft pulse, a reminder that love moves through darkness and brings color back to the world.

The second element is a mural of roses hand painted by my daughter London. Her touch brings tenderness and momentum to the space. The wall reads like a living garden, and the presence of her hand makes the work a conversation across generations about care, creativity, and devotion.

The third element is a mural that reads The Light Will Guide You. It is designed to look like a neon sign, complete with a cord that plugs into the wall. The words are an invitation to move toward joy, to honor gratitude, and to trust the glow that love creates in all of us.

Neon Roses was commissioned by Spaceworks Tacoma for the Tacoma Light Trail, a citywide celebration of art and illumination. I love flowers, especially roses, and this installation is also a tribute to my auntie Rosa whose spirit guided the vision and the name.

The rose reminds me that we do not always have the foresight to see what is blooming ahead. Growth takes time. Love takes practice. Light arrives and reveals what was already forming. If you feel loved or need love, let this work meet you where you are. Neon Roses is a public offering of gratitude, a simple gift made visible. This is my bouquet to the world.