Moving Forward
As we move through the transition of building a new home, we are grateful to have found housing for the upcoming months. Having left my studio, I am affirming that I can make art ANYWHERE! I am creating lots of new work in the rental unit we found and will be at Art in Bayfront Park THIS WEEKEND with a few new things (including my otters).
In the move, I've also determined that I keep WAY TOO MUCH STUFF! As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I've watched my siblings let go of larger family homes and most of the things that filled all of those rooms. I'm now going through things and getting rid of items that have been around since I was born - YIKES!
My Sangha (meditation group) has been reading about letting go of "the object of our desire" and it is really difficult to do. So many THINGS bring up emotions and the bond is still there even though I haven't seen the item in decades. Last night I found my "pink puppy" which is a little stuffed pup in a curled sleeping position that plays Brahms Lullaby. My grandmother had given it to me when I was quite small and I recall that I would not go to sleep without it - EVER! Once, my babysitter searched much of the night trying to find it and the search continued after my parents came home until it was finally discovered in the bottom of a toy box in the basement. The music still plays perfectly and I still can't seem to let it go.
It's wonderful when a work of ART can have this kind of affect on us. It becomes a refuge, a gateway that transports and transforms us. Every time we walk by it, we experience a reset — a return to the emotion and energy that drew us to it in the first place.
Creating new work has also been a therapeutic process for me. As I worked on the fledgling kingfisher (who teetered on a branch over the river) I relished the opportunity I had to act as witness to that magical event and as witness to forward the special moment to all of you through art...THIS IS THE VERY FIRST DRAFT - it has not yet been inked, and yes, it has mistakes.
