The Allure— At the West End Gallery
I know only that I was born and exist, and it seems to me that I have been carried along. I exist on the foundation of something I do not know. In spite of all uncertainties, I feel a solidity underlying all existence and a continuity in my mode of being.
-Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Well, this year’s solo effort at the West End Gallery draws to a close after today. There is always a bit of sadness when the work comes off the walls.
It feels like a true ending.
But having done this job, if I can call being an artist that, for many years now, I have seen a lot of shows come to an end. With that comes the realization that it is not the end of anything but a period of time.
The end of a short chapter in a long and endless book.
I am not sure why I began thinking this thought this morning. Maybe it was looking closely at the painting above and some of the others in this show recently.
I paint my suns and moons in a very distinct way, with a dark outline around the lighter center. It’s almost childish in the way it presents the sun as big ball with a black line around it. I have been doing it that way for so long that it feels perfectly natural to my hand, eye, and mind. It has become its own continuity and I never even give a thought to doing it in any other way.
This morning I wondered why that was.
I came up with a variety of answers, most applicable but unsatisfying in the end. But one really struck me and seemed to ring true when I viewed these suns and moons in a variety of my other paintings where they served as prominent features.
That one answer was that perhaps that line represents for me the continuity and circular nature of time and life. The lines around the suns and moons emphasize the consistency in their existence. They rise and fall in the sky above, followed by the same the next day.
That continuity is soothing in that it keeps us in a state of equilibrium. Whatever our problems and losses might be– or even our triumphs– it serves as constant reminder that there is another day and with it comes the new. Some good, some bad, some indifferent. But each is generally only for the short term. Ultimately, there should be balance.
I know I am not explaining this fully or well. But it helps me to realize that I am seeing these suns/moons as a symbol of continuity and balance. It makes me look at my own work with a slightly altered eye.
And it makes the end of things like this show seem inconsequential in the context of the bigger picture. As I said, it is the end of a chapter.
Turn the page and another begins.
If you have made it in to see the show, I sincerely thank you.
If not, it is not the end. Another chance comes around that circle eventually. Maybe then…
Redtree Times 