In my Week 14 blog I talked about exploring human traits that we all possess and how we deal with them defines who we are and our journey through life.
Interestingly, during the exploration of light and shadow I have found myself focusing on the themes that may characterize our life, such as ambition, secrecy, balance, grace, etc. .... Rather than examine the ideas through the context of a story, I have instead found myself creating individual characters that embody and symbolize these themes, but in a way that identifies the benefits and pitfalls inherent in each. I see these figures as internal guides that we can reach out to as needed.
Through this exploration culminated in a series entitled "Patron Guideposts." Similar to the role Patron Saints played in my childhood, these figures symbolize ideas or themes that we face in our daily lives and serve as references for the path we choose to follow.
For example, "Secrecy" identifies the chains that can possibly intwine us as we practice deception, however the threads on the chain symbolize the secret wishes and desires that we release in ritual ways (blowing out candles, tossing coins in a fountain, etc.) just like little prayers.
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| Secrecy |
"Balance" is a big one for me. I think a full life comes from finding balance between opposing aspects of our lives and a little humor at the seriousness of our own drama never hurts.
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| Balance |
"Dreams" are something that shape us from a young age. Our dreams can be big or small and can be fulfilled or fade into the landscape of our life's journey. For them we may take the arrows of opposition but our dreams remain with us.
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| Dreams |
You can see these Patron Guideposts at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art starting September 28th through December 15th.
