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April 16, 2015 by Iskra Leave a Comment

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Iskra Fine Art Blog

the creative process | conversations with artists | the contemplative impulse in art

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“In alchemy, the swan represents the union of op

“In alchemy, the swan represents the union of opposites necessary for the creation of the philosopher’s stone, a substance believed to turn base metals into gold.”

“The swan could bridge sky and water, heaven and earth.”

As I am following the swan myth and muse I find myself whispering defenses of the Feminine. As though softness needed a lawyer. As though without softness neither feathers nor flight could exist. As though there weren't centuries buried in the sands and under the seas of seers knowing more than we do.

Morning pages. This is how a dream leaves. Dreams

Morning pages. This is how a dream leaves. Dreams have their own tides that flow to a sea far beyond our sleep.

One of my favorite books is titled "The Reenchantm

One of my favorite books is titled "The Reenchantment of the World,” by Morris Berman. This phrase, has echoed as a muse for me for decades. Berman asks the question, Can we only know the natural world by distancing ourselves from it? Or can we redefine the terms of engagement and bring the old myths into the present, creating a new ecology of mind? England's gardens offer re-enchantment at every turn.

This is the first work in progress, inspired by my travels, for a new series of prints from The Gardener’s Almanac of Irreproducible Phenomena. An astrolabe is a portable navigation device that measures the location of astronomical bodies to help determine position. (Think of Google maps and that round blue dot wandering the grid. . .) An armillary is the stay at home version, anchored on the earth, in the garden— just the sort of device the traveler might want to consult in the disorienting days after return.

This Armillary, based on ancient models, is a piece from the workshop of Oliver Gero, that I came across on my last day, in Holland Park. I urge you to watch the movie interviewing him (link in comments). It affirms the kind of world I want to live in. This quote about the work of his workshop, Brookbrae, says it all: “The whole object was to produce works of art that appealed to the mind and also made the heart happy.”

So, I am home and it is not so easy to be home. I

So, I am home and it is not so easy to be home. I spent Sunday immersed feet first in local politics. This marathon day involved a council candidate fundraiser followed by 5 hours caravanning with my beautiful tree people through south Seattle to document and memorialize the loss of ancestral trees the city has handed over to developers to clearcut to build cookie cutter unaffordable houses that will last 40 years. My dreams every night are ancient. Ancient stone, towers, ruins, cobbled streets, druids. I just wait through the day to get back to my dreams😕. Yet here we are. In the temporal. The now.

The only cure is Dylan Thomas (swipe to read —and read aloud !) My assignment for book club is to read a book from highschool. I missed highschool. But I remember a moment in a portable, 8th grade, transfixed by Dylan Thomas, a story about winter, in blurry violet mimeograph. Now I am revisiting with a full appreciation of his genius. He is a writer who must be read aloud, savoring the rhythm of words. The United Kingdom is not done with me. . .

Paddington variations. (For people who like infras

Paddington variations. (For people who like infrastructure. . . )The first time I went through Paddington I had no time to look for more than a split second and gasp in awe. The second time I got lost in Hades for an hour and only looked at the floor. The third time I had a spacious 20 minutes to appreciate the grandeur of this place, as well as the small elements that make travel so revelatory.

It had never occurred to me, for instance, that the Gap and the life of pigeons are intimately related. While I stared into the space where Heathrow Express would soon arrive I noticed infinite pigeon feathers. Collateral damages of the science of motion. The space for those who can read the signs is slightly less precarious, still grand, and yet the gap between efficiency and the traveler’s need for human kindness is small. Everywhere this time around I found humor and patience and years of expertise in guiding the overwhelmed through an infrastructure of phenomenal complexity. Plus: where else can you set down your luggage and pause long enough to hug a bronze bear? And what other country names its rail stations for a toy bear who always travels with marmalade in his suitcase?

Instagram post 18154300024319741

Instagram post 18154300024319741

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