Soul Climb Series
If we as artists, express our lives in our work.
We share the deepest secrets locked away deep in our souls.
This happens all the time with my work.
The Soul Portal Series was followed by the Soul Interval Series.
Then the mind breaking series Soul Climb.
Soul Climb had to be third. It was a progression of a process so personal
that it had to be after some creating deeper and deeper behind large parts of me
that are never shared.
The parts that as a child taught me to be happy and share it always.
The parts that made me work for everything I achieved.
The parts that never gave up no matter what - with the effervescence of
carbonation bubbling to the surface, no matter how hard it was, no matter
how many set backs there were.
When my father died I was only six. He was my favorite.
He was tall and lean, and carried me around on his shoulders.
He was not always nice to everyone, but he was really nice to me.
I felt like I was safe with him. Not everyone felt that way about him. But I did.
That one brings back some painful memories based around his frustrations in life
and some of his deep seeded issues. He was sometimes violent. His violence was always
directed at my Mother and my older brother. I never remember him even getting angry at the
rest of us. He spent it all on those two.
My Mother bore the worst of it, and we all witnessed it. Lined up on a nubby sofa
with our bobby socks and Maryjane shoes. She was usually standing up to him for
something we had done. Not big things, but things that annoyed him.
And she stood up. She took it all. And we all cried.
When he went after my brother it was a different story. It was blatant why.
My brother was always a handful. He once started a fire that burned down the garage.
He was always being naughty and very creative in how he did it. But mostly
I think my Dad was working out things from his childhood on my brothers back.
It was never fair, I mean, as kids we all had our own brand of naughty.
So the Soul Portal Series released some of that for me.
It was a series of bold colors (me standing up?)
A huge rhythm of swirl and stroke. Coming into the center and being
balanced, and safe. Holding up the structure with sheer will and determination.
Soul Interval Series is more structure. Not as much healing.
Color supporting color. Scraped away images. Saved images.
Color - Color - Color
Black - Black - Black
Sometimes an afterthought.
Sometimes a drip.
Sometimes a supporting block of black.
Stability (?)
Soul Climb Series
More joy. Less pain.
More hopeful. Less struggle.
Color - Color - Color
but the addition of PLAY.
Every series that I do leads to another discovery of who I am and why I am.
And it is never easy. But it is totally rewarding to go there and learn.
I have learned a very important lesson about my work.
PLAY must be a part of it.
PLAY must be central.
Staying light and playful is an art in itself.
A purity that is rare.
Soul Climb begins doing that for me.
