As the water sways and the flowers blow, 120 wooden crosses now line the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. The crosses, big and small, represent the people who have died in the Central Texas floods. Some are made from debris that washed up from the river.

"The first thing I did when I arrived, I picked some of these pickets from the river," said Roberto Marquez, an artist from Oak Cliff. "I like to have my reference right from where the event happened—meaning the flood, the disaster."

Art born from tragedy

Marquez arrived in Kerrville from North Texas five days ago. He created the art installation as a way to honor the victims of the catastrophic floods and their families.

"It's a place where we unite. It's like a concentration camp, where we can all share our experiences and we have the opportunity to do something," he said.

A quiet place to grieve

It's also a space of healing.

"Sometimes they talk, sometimes they just pray, sometimes they just cry," Marquez said. "Sometimes what I do, I say, 'Just let me be next to you,' and we hug each other. Sometimes, maybe I can be a shoulder for you to cry on."

Search efforts continue nearby

Just behind the crosses, a stark contrast: search crews continue looking for the bodies of those still missing a week after the floods.

"They can be right next to us, and we don't know because what happened is the river pushed so much mud," Marquez said. "We have a real strong contrast."

A message of hope

While the pain in Kerr County is still fresh, Marquez hopes the crosses serve as a reminder that there is light after the darkest days.

"My prayers to them. We're united, we're strong, and somehow, we will overcome the situation," he said.

Marquez said he will continue adding crosses to the memorial as the death toll rises.