Your steadfast love extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the clouds
For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light
I will not keep silent
about what I see, what I believe
I will not rest
till I see, till I believe
Each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good
Some utter wisdom
Some knowledge
Some have faith
Some gifts of healing
Some work miracles
Some prophesy
Some discern the spirit
Some interpret
Our internal connections are just as the spirit chooses
I will not keep silent
about what I see, what I believe
I will not rest
till I see, till I believe
Your steadfast love extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the clouds
For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light
-adapted from Psalm 36:5,9, Isaiah 62:1, and 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Just What It Seems To Be
It is time to take a moment and acknowledge a fine line that must be walked when on a search for meaning - especially when one is exploring meaning in visual images. The simple truth is this: sometimes things are just what they seem to be. Sometimes there is not a deeper meaning implied in a composition or image or in the unique juxtaposition of objects. Sometimes, like the scratchboard image below of a band clamp, an image is just a visual interpretation or exploration of an object and serves no greater purpose.
I say this by no means to dissuade the search for connection, meaning and revelation in encounters with art. I say it instead as a call to mindfulness in those encounters. A mindfulness that brings awareness to what is presented - acknowledging it for what it is, gleaning from it what one may and letting it be simply what it is when a search for significant meaning and purpose seems fruitless.
Having said this I must also acknowledge that rarely will an image exist that is devoid of meaning or connection, even in some small way, for someone who encounters it. We are, after all, people living our lives from moment to moment carrying with us the infinite stories and experiences from each past moment which feed into each next moment creating context, connection and continuity. With all of those connections playing into each encounter it is very possible that someone may have a memory jarred by a seemingly benign image inducing an unexpected emotional response and there by imbuing that image with meaning.
Of course by now you can see why I call this is a fine line to walk - because even when something is created without intentionally implied meaning it is in the mysterious nature of art to reach out to us when we encounter it and stir within us memory, connection and meaning. In the opposite vein sometimes a piece of art, created with meaning in mind, does not move us but instead leaves us emotionally flat. We all bring different experiences into each encounter and what works in one moment for one person may not work for another but the moment remains valid for each just the same.
And so we must carry on searching for meaning where we can, encountering meaning when it sneaks up on us and letting meaning rest when things are just what they seem to be.
I say this by no means to dissuade the search for connection, meaning and revelation in encounters with art. I say it instead as a call to mindfulness in those encounters. A mindfulness that brings awareness to what is presented - acknowledging it for what it is, gleaning from it what one may and letting it be simply what it is when a search for significant meaning and purpose seems fruitless.
Having said this I must also acknowledge that rarely will an image exist that is devoid of meaning or connection, even in some small way, for someone who encounters it. We are, after all, people living our lives from moment to moment carrying with us the infinite stories and experiences from each past moment which feed into each next moment creating context, connection and continuity. With all of those connections playing into each encounter it is very possible that someone may have a memory jarred by a seemingly benign image inducing an unexpected emotional response and there by imbuing that image with meaning.
Of course by now you can see why I call this is a fine line to walk - because even when something is created without intentionally implied meaning it is in the mysterious nature of art to reach out to us when we encounter it and stir within us memory, connection and meaning. In the opposite vein sometimes a piece of art, created with meaning in mind, does not move us but instead leaves us emotionally flat. We all bring different experiences into each encounter and what works in one moment for one person may not work for another but the moment remains valid for each just the same.
And so we must carry on searching for meaning where we can, encountering meaning when it sneaks up on us and letting meaning rest when things are just what they seem to be.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Found Collages
Collage as an artform is a unique and flexible medium. It allows independent images and forms to come together and create a new whole that is simultaneously derivative and original. Collage compositions can be abstract or literal; expressing emotion and feeling through color and form or sharing an idea or story through concrete representations. Collages can juxtapose the unlikeliest of images in unexpected ways to convey meaning or challenge assumptions. This open nature of collages makes them a powerful format for artistic expression and an intriguing medium for artistic encounters.
One of the most intriguing aspects of collages is their unexpected possibility. Almost anything can go into the creation of a collage and one never quite knows the full extent of what might be encountered when visually exploring a collage. This uninhibited potential makes the creation and visual consumption of collages a constant adventure.
Another unique aspect of collage is dimensionality. Because collage is a coming together of many separate pieces into a new whole there exists the opportunity for layering and overlapping in ways that create depth. Sometimes the collage creates an illusion of depth through thoughtful juxtaposition of elements, but in many cases collage creates a tangible physical depth through the layering of pieces on top of each other. This physical sense of depth is akin to our everyday experience of depth in the world. We take up space and we move in the spaces in between the things that surround us - we expect and innately understand depth because we live in constant dimensional encounter with the world around us.
In the opposite vein there are also times when the collage technique is used to flatten a sense of depth. This can be seen in the collapsing of space between two or more elements and a merger of those elements into a new relationship and composition. This ability of collage compositions to flatten space jars our visual sensibilities, challenging our expectations and encouraging us to look at the relationship between things in new ways.
I like to carry these lessons of collage with me into my encounters with the world as a reminder to constantly look at the elements of life around me and investigate how moments, events and even people overlap and relate to each other in creative and unexpected ways. I also enjoy being on the lookout for found collages - collages that exist independently of intentional creation but are instead elements that, when encountered as a whole, come together into a visually pleasing composition. Found collages are another method of keeping me engaged in constantly looking at the world around me in new ways, seeing things for what they are and what they may become when joined in relationship with their surrounding context.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Change of Seasons
It is Fall again in Maryland and the wind is turning cooler as the leaves begin to change. I love the fall, I always have. It is a season of in between, a slowing down of the long days of summer and a time of preparation for the upcoming winter nights.
In many ways my life is immune to the impact of seasons - I work indoors, on a computer, in a building in which the temperature is moderated to keep me cool in the summer and warm in the winter. My hands do not dig into the earth and feel the changes in texture as it cycles through seasonal life. My yearly schedule is even consistent without a school year type schedule to provide structure. Sometimes it scares me how disconnected I can live from nature - as I often find myself forgetting what season I am in or what season I am heading into or coming out of.
There is something about this disconnection from the seasonal cycles of nature that feels very unnatural, but I am comforted by fall. Fall calls me to attention, it brings me back to myself, reminding me of the fleeting nature of things and inspiring me to once again be aware; to take notice of the days of my life and to step lively into them with celebration of where I've come from, excitement about where I'm going and all the while being engaged in the present moment.
Fall does this for me through the slant of the sun which lights up the afternoon in a brilliance and warmth that is enhanced by and enhances the color of the changing leaves. Fall does this through the falling of leaves which reminds me of the impermanence of things, bringing a delightful crackling sound to my steps as I walk through them and making space for the new life that will burst forth after the restful dormancy of winter. Fall is simultaneously melancholy and hopeful and brings the warm glow of those emotions to life within me. Fall ushers in a cold season of dark evenings but it sends us off to meet winter in a blaze of color and possibility.
So I give thanks for yet another change of season that has once again brought fall to my front door. I give thanks for the reminder of the natural cycle of change, for those things which are coming to a close, those things which remain in full swing, and the potential of things yet to come. I give thanks for the beauty surrounding me and the fullness of life in this transitional moment.
In many ways my life is immune to the impact of seasons - I work indoors, on a computer, in a building in which the temperature is moderated to keep me cool in the summer and warm in the winter. My hands do not dig into the earth and feel the changes in texture as it cycles through seasonal life. My yearly schedule is even consistent without a school year type schedule to provide structure. Sometimes it scares me how disconnected I can live from nature - as I often find myself forgetting what season I am in or what season I am heading into or coming out of.
There is something about this disconnection from the seasonal cycles of nature that feels very unnatural, but I am comforted by fall. Fall calls me to attention, it brings me back to myself, reminding me of the fleeting nature of things and inspiring me to once again be aware; to take notice of the days of my life and to step lively into them with celebration of where I've come from, excitement about where I'm going and all the while being engaged in the present moment.
Fall does this for me through the slant of the sun which lights up the afternoon in a brilliance and warmth that is enhanced by and enhances the color of the changing leaves. Fall does this through the falling of leaves which reminds me of the impermanence of things, bringing a delightful crackling sound to my steps as I walk through them and making space for the new life that will burst forth after the restful dormancy of winter. Fall is simultaneously melancholy and hopeful and brings the warm glow of those emotions to life within me. Fall ushers in a cold season of dark evenings but it sends us off to meet winter in a blaze of color and possibility.
So I give thanks for yet another change of season that has once again brought fall to my front door. I give thanks for the reminder of the natural cycle of change, for those things which are coming to a close, those things which remain in full swing, and the potential of things yet to come. I give thanks for the beauty surrounding me and the fullness of life in this transitional moment.
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