It’s hard to imagine that it’s been less than a week since the Boston Marathon bombing and all that followed. It seems as though that so much has occurred that six days could not possibly hold it all. I normally don’t do work that is topical in any manner and, to be quite honest, when I was finishing this piece I wasn’t even consciously thinking about the Boston bombing. In fact, it was quite the opposite– I was working to shut out the emotion of the events. it was only after finishing that I realized that there was some relevance in this piece, an 8″ by 16″ painting on paper that I call Running Free.
I originally thought that this would be a simple Red Tree piece, just the tree set against a fragmented sky. Quiet. Placid. But I inadvertently started with a block that didn’t run level, giving it a sloped appearance. As I worked on the sky, I thought about the challenge that the slope offered, an obstacle to overcome much like a runner looks at a hill. I felt that a runner moving up this slope was a good metaphor for the obstacles that we all at some point take on and overcome.
The way the upper section– the sky– finished left a larger block that seemed to be a perfect spot to place my runner. Safely isolated, much like a runner might feel when they are in mid run and have blocked out the external. In the zone, which was also the first title that came to mind in the aftermath of finishing this piece.
But looking at it I realized there was a connection to last Monday’s events, one that I had never intended. The term freerunner came to mind but that is so connected with the guys who run and jump their way through urban landscape that I opted for the simple Running Free. All I could think of was of those people who challenge themselves with their running and find a release, a freedom, in it. Who find sanctuary of a sort in going inward as they block out everything but their own thoughts and the road ahead of them. And how that safe haven was invaded last week.
But runners are by nature strong-willed and will not be intimidated by cowardly acts. I’m looking forward to seeing images of the runners streaming through London today as they run their marathon there in defiance of those who seek to take away their freedom and their security. May they continue to run free…
Redtree Times 