Aeon
Friday, September 21, 2007 at 04:49PM I am happy to be able to tell you that I have just been interviewed at humana maelstrom zine
I was asked a very interesting series of questions by Hélène Deroubaix, who is a wonderful artist in her own write and and avid writer and blogger. Check out her site too. I very happy with the result of the interview and I think it gives some good insight into my creative process and thoughts.
In making this piece, which I call Acceptance, I had a chance to meditate on the amazing power of nature to be patient but make great changes. The rocks in this stream that feed into the Nooksack river in Mt. Baker National Forest, have been aged smooth over the millennia by the constant flow of water, a process almost unimaginable in human time scales. I had this vision of lion left in this stream and the piece came to fruition. Its easy to say after the fact that this about acceptance of the inevitable will of nature but also about how great changes will come if we are patient etc., but the truth is when I saw this stream the image of the stone lion in with the boulders just came like a vision or a dream. I am always thankful for these visions!
Reader Comments (3)
Hi ..I viewed this post days ago and wanted to tell you that it set off a long comment from me...it was such a spark to my thoughts and very helpful to me...it got lost somehow, but the process of creating it (my comment) was not lost to me...thank you for the art that you share.
Yes I like the times that some idea or picture "pops" in the mind..
this is interesting to me...
I see how you can see such a river with boulders and think of the power of nature...how what is (only) a flowing river, water...has the power over time to smooth and shape massive rocks...would never suspect if we did not know that that is how it works....
very inspirational..hopeful...very rich with possibility for analogy to living and people...
we are part of nature, too...we have power to effect change...
well, I imagine looking at the stones in the river combined with the idea of the power of nature...can lead to the idea of statue and lion...and also, the statue is what came of the developing and applied thoughts of people...and makes me think of how something can be oberved in nature(world) and represented by people...something new from what was there before...
a building of ideas upon ideas..an acceptance that things work a certain way..no short cuts...and the more that is understood, the more that can be dreamed...
if it can be dreamed or thought then if the skills and resources are there, then it can be done...
always a quest for understanding...how to make the river stronger...to create more passes over the rocks..how to remove them maybe...how to increase the water supply...and which river to join working on...an existing one...or what about creating a new path of flow...well, my thoughts did that after seeing and reading this post of yours...they went along and started to flow and then I did see where they lead to in the end..not having planned the end..but following the "clues"...and being patient...accepting that it may come to light for me...or not right then...
this was a powerful image for me...i heard myself starting to ROAR! it helped me:-) though i did pay for it with less sleep then...but sometimes i think it is worth it and i am grateful when I can take time to put together some gathering thoughts in a new way...and when there is some power behind the flow.
Hey Jen for some reason I missed your comments here until today, guess I've been busy with my show. Any way I wanted to say thanks for the words! Its always worth the time to put together some gathering thoughts. You've got to strike while that feeling is happening.
Part of the lion imagery has to do with pride, a powerful beast, king of the jungle all that and in the end, even with its facade of strenght, even the lion will ware away to dust.
I won't write a long comment but the only thing i would like to say that your works are really marvelous.