Dear Art Lover,
2011 was a precarious year for me. After many years of knowing we were in
trouble, 2011 was the year of our divorce.
One might think I would have prepared myself for the option we ended up
choosing, but reality is soooo different from theory or dreams or even just
talk. I was all over the map on what I
was going to do, and where I was going to do it. I did not even really know what I wanted,
other than to continue my life as an artist if at all possible. I just knew that something had to change and so, it did.
That year I created a new bronze titled “The Unwritten Future.” It is a play on my bronze “Cattails and Frog Legs.” Instead of the
original amphibians, one man hangs by one hand from the end of the cattail,
while another man sits on the lily pad below, watching in anticipation. The original piece is a type of self-portrait
[as a frog], based on a story my mother told me about my actions as a baby…
always a climber! I had had a request to create something with frogs, but
needed to create something connected to the rest of my work. But at the time of
the newer composition, I was also interested in mixing up proportions. It seemed to enhance the surreal emotions I
was attempting to communicate.
The depictions of the moments of transition
have always interested me. It seems that
during that time, there is a risk of an unexpected element entering the scene
with the possibility to “turn one’s head.”
It is a vulnerable time and for this, it seems even the person IN the
transition, more so than those watching from outside, might not even understand
the dynamics of the decision-making process.
However, the vulnerability may just be necessary in that it opens us up
to the possibility of a positive solution that either was never imagined, or
never before seemed obtainable. Or, this
is my optimism. And frankly, when I look
back over my life, it describes my pre- and post-divorce experiences.
Maybe “The Unwritten Future” will give you
some hope or perhaps remind you to see your own situation in other possible
lights. I like the particular view of
the bronze that I have chosen to share with you. The shadow cast by the sun implies
that the hanging man will not drop, but will choose to grab hold. It is
optimism in a precarious situation.
For more images of this available 19"
h x 7" w x 6" d bronze sculpture “The Unwritten Future”
(only $1200 if you mention this blog post, payment plans accepted), please
visit this page:
And if you are curious
about frog legs, click here:
Also, today was not
such a good start: My Italian lesson of
the day started with a tribute video to the now late, but ever great Leonard
Cohen. So many artists gone this year
and it makes my heart heavy.
Peace,
Kelly
P.S.
to the US, Happy Veteran’s Day… here is a pic of my favorite veteran, my dad
(fought in the Vietnam War, then became a fighter pilot teacher).
