Tree of life is inspired by the Hungarian legend of Hunor and Magor who the Gesta Hungarorum purports to be the ancestors of the Huns and the Magyars. In the legend, the brothers follow the magical white stag rather than killing it, Hunor and Magor teach us what may be the most important lesson; That the need to acquire objects or developing great attachment to place can greatly diminish ones openness to new opportunities and possibilities.
Tree of life is a reflection of artist’s ethnic background, a combination of mobile Hungarians and early Pennsylvania German settlers who have continuously inhabited the same geographic area for over 300 years.
The first layer of the box illustrates the constellation Corvus. The crow/raven is a Hungarian symbol. There are several legends involving King Matthias, a medieval Hungarian king, a crow and a gold ring.
Inside, the white stag of the Hunor and Magor legend has merged with the tree of life and is standing in a forest of oak trees. Oaks being a German national symbol. The imaginary forest is overlooked simultaneously by the sun and moon, which commonly appear in Hungarian tree of life imagery.
The acorn resting in the snow is from a Willow Oak that stood on the grounds of the artist’s art school. A seed from a school that no longer exists.
