Search for identity

While in church today, I found myself considering the nature of finding our individual role and purpose in a community – or life – to the metaphor of parts of our bodies.  What if one of body parts kept questioning: what is my purpose? do I have to be just a thumb? Is there another chance for me? Should I stay with these fingers, or can I find a new group to be a part of?

Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs Myers starts with a reference to the Bible and the premise that we are different, but like parts of a body have our own purpose and gifts.

Medium

A trip to Opus yesterday and wound up with pouring medium. The world of mediums is fascinating: mix your paints and inks with heavy gel, matte medium, gloss medium, leveling gel, pumice gel, clear tar gel, etc.  It took discipline to decide to buy only one and experiment with it rather any of the others I don’t already have. Jeanne recommends mixing your own sand, or rice, or pebbles with heavy gel, rather than using the storebought variety. She liked the piece that I used Kits beach sand and pebbles for. (Thanks, Jamie, for helping me lug that up to the apartment.)

Democracy and Politics

I’m reading (actually listening as the book hasn’t come in yet from VPL) Defying Hitler and being reminded of some of the things I learned in school long ago. “a wheelbarrow of money was needed to buy a pound of potatoes”.

And thinking about the rise of democracy in middle east and how there might be patterns that connect.

Mentorship

I have often found myself on the mentor side of a mentorship relationship. Yesterday I spent an hour with Jeanne Krabbendam getting a critique of 11 (count ’em!) almost finished pieces for my upcoming show at the Unitarian Church.

How wonderful to have an affirming yet directive mentor. She was able to go through all of them, saying, do that. don’t do that.

The very cool thing is that some were finished, many were almost finished, and the 3 in early stages were pronounced worthy of finishing.

I’ll be taking Jeanne’s level II course in June and July. Watch for more praise.

Portraits and Memorials – Missing and Murdered Women

As I’m walking in the Women’s Memorial March on Monday, I was following some of the links online and encountered the story of the 69 huge portraits done by Pamela Masik and also installation art of the first names created in evergreen garlands by My Name is Skot.

I found myself trying to imagine what would have a similar feeling to me or other women. Key is the photos were not chosen nor was permission given. The photos from which the portraits are made are not flattering or representative.

How would I feel if a security camera photo taken from my bank, or while shopping or even my driver’s licence photo was used for a portrait where I had no input – and in addition my name was attached to it. Most of us would be shocked to consider that such a thing could happen.