Now the Flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and they lifted the ark, and it rose off the earth. And the waters became powerful, and they increased very much upon the earth, and the ark moved upon the waters . . . and all the lofty mountains that were under the heavens were covered up, and all flesh perished that moved upon the earth. It [the Flood] blotted out all beings . . . from man to animal to creeping thing and to the fowl of the heavens, and they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark survived. (Genesis 7:17–23)

A great deluge wipes all life from the face of the earth, and the ark floats precariously atop the water. The blues portray the rising water, while the reds depict the destruction. I painted a jewelry box black to represent the ark, which was covered with tar but contained everything necessary to start the world anew. The ark is suspended by a cord, showing life and death hanging by a string.1 This symbolizes our dependence on G‑d’s mercy, and reminds us that the gift of salvation is often hidden within times of turbulence.