THOUGHTS of where we are within the Cosmic Energies. 3rd week in June, we are now at the summer solstice time, where the northern hemisphere experiences the longest day of the year, and the shortest day in the southern skies. As the sun moves into Cancer, the moon is in Capricorn; the sun is casting light on what has reached fullness in our Capricorn aspects. It is a time to reflect and find balance with nourishing the self, and getting things done to keep our lives running smoothly. Cancer is the home body, and Capricorn, the achiever. We can focus upon what needs attention in the daily grind, but also be attuned to being in the flow, taking care to enjoy some down town. What are your plans? As I did last month, I’m offering snippets of what I imagine might be of interest to you. The 3 categories are: 1 – Blast from the Past; 2 – Influences 3 – Currently
My efforts are focused on bringing together the threads of life experience, intertwining all the above 3 categories. What threads are apparent to you this month after you ponder my sharing below?
Part 1 – Blast from the Past (an art work I created some time in the last 45+ years).
©Debbie Mathew Title: Acidified Shrimp
Porcelain, pigment stains, wire, feathers.
21”h x 21”w x 10”d, 1986
During the 1980’s, I enrolled in my first ceramics class at the University of Manitoba. I fell in love with the medium. Each stage of the process was a goldmine of exploration: shaping clay into a myriad of forms, creating surface textures, adding colors and/or glazes. My joy with the medium was a great surprise for me, as I’d always assumed I’d be a painter. It was pure Play – beginning with all types of clay, from smooth/buttery porcelain, to rough/groggy stoneware. The options for surface treatments (texturing, stains, terra sigillata, glazes…) are also limitless. The magic of opening the kiln post firing was always a little like Christmas… one never knew exactly if one’s intentions were even remotely answered. Always interested in pushing a media’s to the edges of its’ capabilities, I created fragile looking pieces (like Acidified Shrimp), as well as solid structural pieces that lived outdoors year-round. I purposefully formed fragmented parts, that I wired together post firing, allowing me to go deeper into my artistic intentions; in this case, to reveal the fragility of this small creature, whose population’s decimation results from unconsidered environmental exploitation. See Part 2 (below) to discover more of the influences for this hanging sculptural artwork.
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Part 2 – Influences = Contributing to my evolution as an artist; could be a person, place, process… etc.
Collecting water sample data for acid rain research. 1980’s.
Debbie Mathew – Biologist & Photography 1980’s
In the 1980’s, I was employed as a biologist for ‘Fisheries & Oceans’, a federal agency based in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. I was part of a research team gathering data about the effects of acid rain in the lakes within a remote area of NW Ontario. It was a fascinating job, although the research findings were deeply disturbing for my nature-loving soul. I was aware of environmental destruction resulting from ‘strip mining’ of land, forests, & seas, reflecting a profit mindset and disregard for the holistic paradigm of our beloved Earth. Part of my job at ELA (Experimental Lakes Area), was to collect crayfish for the scientist looking at why their numbers declined over years – and if the cause was acid rain. Proof unfolded over the years; acid waters slowed down the hardening of their shell, between molts, as they grew. This allowed bacteria to settle in during their most vulnerable times of life, and kill them. With clay as my artistic medium, I could transform my anguish; what evolved was an ‘Endangered Species’ Series – Acidified Shrimp was one of this collection.
Reflections, Photograph, 1980’s
During my decade in Winnipeg, working as a biologist, I was also exploring photography.
The photograph was one I’d taken as part of my observations in/of nature, in and around city scapes; recognizing death/decay as part of life and its’ inherent beauty. Natural decay through the seasons as part of the life cycle is beautiful; rampant plunder is not. My heart knows such pillage originates in fear. So, I continue create imagery that is more about spiritual evolution as the foundation of love consciousness.
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Part 3 – Currently (what am I exploring NOW)
©Debbie Mathew Title: The Heart of Growing Wings
21” x 14”, print & mixed media on paper, June, 2024
As mentioned above, the art I’m creating now uses imagery pointing to love frequency, as solvent for the current crisis humans have created with fear consciousness. Simultaneously using icons /symbols from centuries of wisdom traditions, I also invoke a little whimsy and craft into the mix.
For this art piece, I want to guide you through a method to help you ‘relate’ to art that is not as straightforward as a realistic rendering of a person, place or thing. Here goes:
In the presence of the art, describe what you see: colors, objects, forms, environment, etc. Say it aloud, or write it down. For example, in this piece, I see:
3 pink/red lotus flowers forming a downward pointing triangle, the lower lotus is loosely held by violet- colored open (receiving/giving) hands. Above, a person balances on a tightrope, sprouting two lotus flowers – appearing as ‘wings’; a central red/yellow heart lies at the intersection between the higher and lower planes. Another 2 hearts float in the sky above the human. Each subject (human, flowers, hands) glows, as does a heart shape encompassing the winged human. A physical tie connects the lower lotus’s central petal, up through the central heart, human body (with tiny chakra stars), springing out the crown and into the sky, connecting to the 2 hearts above.
The description begins a story, which you can then inject more of your personal meaning. I’ll attempt to transcribe meaning, from my own experience. This then is the meaning I ascribe, that which is meaningful to me.
What I know is, that spiritual practice (meditation, contemplation, prayer), any/all practices that put ego out of the driver’s seat, help to heal our body & psyche, allowing for us to blossom, arising from the muddy, yet fertile waters we experienced life in. To walk the talk of spiritual awareness and live from ‘love’, not fear, is like negotiating a tightrope…not easy or for the faint of heart. But the beauty of expanded consciousness, and potential of flying above daily heartbreak, given global current events, allows us to feed love back into the system.
Ultimately, our practices and commitment on the path of awareness/love, is how we will know how to restore balance between humans, nature and the cosmos. This is what I’m exploring on a daily basis, in art and life, desiring to live a Heart/Art Full Life.
What words, how would you describe this piece? I’d love to see what you see/feel. That is the magic, as there is no right answer, and no One meaning. That is the sweetness of exploring contemporary art imagery. Please send me a few sentences describing what you experience, and if any meaning / interpretation arises out of your personal description. I’d just love to hear from you!
Would you like to see the ‘crafty’ component of the above piece, as a Process Video?
I’ve posted several reels of the technical evolution of the above artwork, including sewing on the tie, that originated from the paper I printed the original imagery on. You can explore that and other Process Videos, by clicking on this link: https://www.instagram.com/debbiemathewart/