What do I mean by 'the appearance of things'?
It has been on my mind that it may appear my focus, so far this year, has not been on my artwork. Rather that it has been on my business, Untangled Threads and The Stitchbook Collective, and of course the decline in my parents health and their ability to care for themselves. Then it occurred to me that actually LIFE, DEATH and RELATIONSHIPS, in whatever form they take, are absolutely where my inspiration and creativity come from.
Relax, breathe and trust the process.
The Appearance of Things
You don't look as if you are dying - your clothes are looser, but so is your skin. Death isn't tidy. Should we be scurrying around, putting things away, or should we be fraying the edges - deliberately... open the cupboard doors. Reveal not only the core, but also the way out: teasing out the core from the detritus of a life lived; finding a way to tiptoe through our fairytales without standing on the magic.
A poem I wrote many years ago, seems to have new meaning today ...
Ariadne (part 1)
Trapped in life's lonely lair,
I helped him to find his way.
Mapped his escape with my thread.
Let him tug on my heart string
by offering to weave my life with his.
But when Theseus sailed and cut me adrift
I had no line strong enough to hold him.
The fabric of my life already pulled and frayed,
now unravels as I watch him leave.
Ariadne (part 2) may well be the exhibition: THREE SCORE and 10 our days are numbered.
Family Tree: An image of a tree in my parents' back garden which I can see from my temporary nest. Being a fledgling at 60 is bittersweet. When I find my way home, my father will be dead.
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