It wasn’t a conscious process at first, but over the years at some point I realized I was creating tiny microcosms in my personal space, an attempt to replicate — even imperfectly — some time or place that has a left a deep impact on me.
Even though I’ve become aware that I do this, I will sometimes still find that I’ve created one of these niches without having consciously tried.
First photo, with the net and the sunglasses, turns out to be a re-creation of the backyard of a delightful rambling multi-storey wooden fishing shack/general store that I stumbled on in a small town on the gulf coast of Louisiana, in 2005. A few months pre-Katrina. The town name wasn’t even in my big atlas, so I wrote it in, with India ink and my fine-tipped pen.
The whole space is kind of a composite re-creation of that, plus other places like that. The heightened state of mind and visual bliss that I’ve experienced on the grounds of Buddhist temples in Japan (back in the early 90s when I was living and working in Tokyo); and at faery camp-outs and urban RV park community with my sweet witchy tribe back in Austin, ca. 2000-2010.
And before that, Zen koans I first stumbled on in the public library back in my teen years …
and and and.
I guess it’s sort of like a memory-collage sculpture that’s always evolving.
Full disclosure: I simply love the beads outdoors, but — even with aforementioned faery wicca Austin tribe influence –- probably would not have thought to do it … except that I was having terrible terrible trouble keeping track of my enormous bead collection, which I purchased from a lovely lady who had had a shop and was ready to pass them on to the next bead-fanatic steward. So now there is at least a bit more breathing-room in all of those bead-boxes and jars that live in my garage/crafting shed.
For many reasons, I no longer travel to speak of, other than family visits. I am very fortunate to have experienced so much when I did. And I feel obligated to make the most of the lavish life-feast I’ve received, by sharing it in my art. Both verbal and visual.