Papercuts

The other day I found a large colored pencil and graphite drawing I had done of my son, Jesse and my daughter, Annie, when they were ages three and 6 months, respectively. Because it was so large I had never framed it and it had become badly torn in places. I had always loved the drawing and felt that throwing it out was not an option. After getting past the sacrilege of thinking I should cut it up and create new, smaller and re-designed pieces from it, I picked up my scissors and cut. Once I started there was no option but to finish what I had started.

As I cut and pasted and altered the existing colors of the work, I thought of how each child had changed over the years and of how alike they still were from the way I had depicted them at that time. I contemplated, how my approach to creating art had changed since then. Tender thoughts of that time in my life flooded over me. The scent of baby lotion and talcum powder wafted up to me and I remembered the incredible softness of their skin at that age. As each thought emerged, I was shifted back in time, standing by the bed where they lay, sleeping, watching them with as much overflowing love as I had felt when I had originally been inspired to create the picture. I felt myself brushing back the dampness of their hair and listening to their gentle breathing as they slept.

The process of reinventing their portraits was validating and healing. It filled me with joy and re-connected me with a precious time frame I had forgotten. With each piece of the drawing that I cut and evaluated new placement and then glued into place, I felt a deep satisfaction at the significance of these changes: filling in some of the negative spaces with warmth and brightness; honoring and appreciating the details that created us as a family and re-designing old ways of interacting with each other to construct a new way to express the fabric of our lives.

Horses & Whales

My most recent art endeavor is one that combines several mediums and is an entry in Music & Masterpieces, an art event presented by The Omaha Symphony Guild and hosted by Rockbrook Village in Omaha, Nebraska. More information on this event can be viewed here: http://www.musicandmasterpieces.com/ My entry, a hand crafted 5' wide x 5' high wooden room screen with handpainted silk panels, entitled, "Going Home", was inspired by Dvorak’s 2nd Movement, Largo, from his New World Symphony, also known as “Going Home”. You can listen to this beautiful music here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fryuQVAuASs . The New World that Dvorak was referring to when he composed this music was actually that of the America's during the time of Hiawatha. To me, the music speaks of the timeless new world that continues to unveil itself to us: The massive untapped new world of the universe.

To create this as visual art I was drawn to the inspiration I have received from another piece of music. Since January of this year, I have been mesmerized by the music from the sound track of “Whale Rider”, composed by Lisa Gerrard . Each time I listen to it, I am not only visited by dreams of majestic whales, leading me to knowledge of changes that I need to make in my life, but also of horses. These horses run on land, as well as swim in water, taking me to the very depths of the ocean floor. The content of the dreams they have brought to me are both ethereal and powerful. You can listen to the opening music of this sound track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rTQm2vvhuM

From time to time, I will be writing more about the symbolism of whales and horses and how they have created an impact upon my life. If you are in the Omaha area between now and September 18, stop in at Heller Art Images in Rockbrook Village to see this room screen, as well as all of the other fabulous pieces of art that are on display at the gallery.