Ebb and Flow

Happy Monday....already!  Time does have a way of moving in ways that continually confound me....let's just say my perception of time confounds me.  Now that I'm working on larger pieces...relatively speaking...large for me is 11" x 15", which is a full size of the handmade/homemade paper that I use....the work proceeds more slowly and my understanding about what happens next on each pieces comes more slowly than it does on the smaller pieces.  I hesitate more, because I want to be sure that the thing I'm about to do is the thing I'm supposed to do....I suppose they feel more precious because the process is tied to finding the content...so it's kind of an unearthing process, in a way.  I've finished just one of the pink pages, although I've moved the other two along several stages, there is a lot of hesitating and walking away for a time of percolation.  This is one of those percolation periods...perfect for doing a blog post and introducing Firmament of the Ancestors.

Firmament of the Ancestors

There's one full shot of the piece, but it's hard to see, so there are three detail images.  I'll be listing this in my shop later today.  Here's how the piece came to be. Most of it is that pattern that slowly built itself into an abstraction of waves in the ocean....in the beginning I didn't know where it was going...I was just making a pattern. Also in an early stage I made an arching pattern of connected dots in the upper portion (now buried under the one you see), that I realized was like a view of the constellations. I had a strong sense this piece was about history....that's when I knew there was a tiny boat riding those ocean waves.  There we are on our very solo journey in a tiny boat...navigating the waves (just where are those oars???) under the timeless firmament of history...our collective ancestors. Time continues on...each moment adds another layer of waves to the ocean current, more dots are connected as we pass through our lives....history builds itself into eternity.

Very soon, we are off on a short jaunt to the big city of Chicago to immerse ourselves in inspiring art, good food and more as-of-yet untold discoveries.  I'll see you next week, with more from The Pink Pages and hopefully some good stories to tell!!!  Right now, as it's a gorgeous day outside, I'm off to plant some zinnia seeds....wish me luck....planting seeds has never worked for me before, but I dearly love zinnias!