There are no names here, for these Cigar Figures are all our family, our history, our present, and the next generation. The figures walk across a cedar tree base that has the shape of a dragon’s head. The tree was ripped open lengthwise during a wind storm, exposing the rough center and revealing the lines that show its life and history. Growing up, my mother would use cedar to purify our home, release spirits, and chase away bad dreams. That smell for me is home. I de-barked the exterior of the tree but kept the natural curve and raw surface. These figures walk through time—their life above, the tree’s life below, and the life that lived within the tree are all interwoven. The connected flow of life can be overlooked during the frenzy of our daily lives. It is often in loss that we are ripped apart and exposed. The profound interconnection we all have surfaces, telling of the dragon we all walk across, that we fight, or that we care for within ourselves.