The Entangling– At Principle Gallery
Centuries of husbandry, decades of diligent culling, the work of numerous hearts and hands, have gone into the hackling, sorting, and spinning of this tightly twisted yarn. Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; and where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.
–Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)
Was reading some Joseph Campbell and came across this passage and it immediately struck me as another way of looking at the Entanglement paintings from my recent Principle Gallery show. Perhaps the twisting bands of ethereal energy as I see them are also representative of the twists and turns of the hero’s journey. It’s the story of human’s existence, one that takes them through a winding and often dark labyrinth filled with dead ends and numerous paths that seem to be leading to one’s desired destination only to be found to have led the traveler even further away.
And then when we are exhausted and filled with fear, all hope drained away, we take a turn on the twisting path and we find ourselves facing the light that gives us hope, the light that energizes and illuminates all that is behind and before us, showing us the unity of all things.
Hmm. Got to think about this a bit more.
Here’s this week’s Sunday Morning Music. Not sure it exactly fits the theme. I think it might. but it doesn’t really matter since I like this song and wanted to hear it this morning. It’s from one of my many favorites, Neko Case. This is Hold On, Hold On.
I started off this morning at a very different place than where I finished when I began looking for this Sunday morning’s musical selection. I started watching videos from Long John Baldry which somehow led to Neko Case which even more oddly led me to Oscar Peterson and Count Basie.
One of the results of doing this blog for so long– over eight years now– is that when real life takes precedence and there’s not enough time or energy to write anything, I feel a real sense of guilt. This has become an entrenched part of my day and to be too busy or distracted with something else leaves me with a bit of an empty feeling, like I’m shirking my duty, even if it is only to myself.
First, too many thanks to send out to everyone who made yesterday’s talk at the West End Gallery such a fun event. That may well be one of the most enjoyable talks I’ve participated out of the many that I’ve done. What a wonderful and engaged group of folks! They were so welcoming and warm that it made me feel very comfortable and free to tell my little stories. I had a good time and I hope they did as well.
Redtree Times 