 |
| Lanterns, collage on paper 6x6 , Leslie Avon Miller |
Perhaps being lost, one should get loster.
~Saul Bellow
Loster in the studio; that’s where I am. And it’s no so bad.
I have no idea what I am doing and I don’t know where I am going. I only know I
am continuing in a state of curiosity. I try many things and make decisions
about what to keep and what to discard.
I create papers with color and textures which will later be
turned into some shapes for collage. I make marks and I follow new pathways.
I have been through most the drawers and other places I have
stored papers, collage, and paintings on paper looking at my own artistic
history. I am grateful that I have kept some of my earlier works. It seems to
me that the ones I have kept are sensitive and perhaps not so easily
understood. But to me, they have a beautiful mystery, a certain aesthetic. And
I find there is a thread from them to what I am doing now.
And I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.
~Emily
Dickinson
My sensibility shows up like my fairy godmother even if I am
unaware. Examples can be found by following the link to my tumblr blog in the side bar.
Some fellow named Sir Herbert Reed said that art is pattern
informed by sensibility.
As I commence this next phase of my life, likely the final
third, I have decided to do so with increased awareness and gratitude in
general and with specific appreciation for my own sense of discernment. I feel
a tenderness. I am opening. I am opening and turning towards the light.
Late Ripeness
Not soon, as late as the approach
Not soon, as late as the approach
of my ninetieth year,
I felt a door opening in me
and I entered
the clarity of early morning.
One after another my former
One after another my former
lives were departing,
like ships, together with
their sorrow.
And the countries, cities, gardens,
And the countries, cities, gardens,
the bays of seas
assigned to my brush came closer,
ready now to be described better
than they were before.
~ Czeslaw Milosz,
~ Czeslaw Milosz,
An artist I admire once told me "It is coming from the center (soul),the hand(s) are the tool, the eyes the decision...and back to the center...
ReplyDeleteBut it is that first one that grabs us, I think....and I am sure...so!!!!
That another way to say "sensibility".
A very beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI think you capture here the sense of mystery, the fact that like canoes in the fog we are always moving into and through the unknown. And there is always that thread of continuity somehow, connected to where we've been and where we're going.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are wisely cherishing this "lostness" with a sense of curiosity. I for one often rail against my own lostness in a most unhelpful way - and then where am I but lost and tangled.
And the lanterns, I wonder, if like a flashlight in the fog, they actually inhibit our vision. Better I think to rely on the inner light.
c'est beau! parfois nous nous découvrons nous même à travers de nos travaux antérieurs...
ReplyDeleteI love that your posts continue to reflect so beautifully your interior journey. Love the Milosz poem, and the Dickinson quote is new to me. I shall hang it in the studio and my heart!
ReplyDeleteIt's comforting to know there are others out with their lanterns, making discoveries daily. Many little glows all over the world. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journey. Your curiosity is contagious.
ReplyDeleteSuch an evocative poem! Your journey resonates with me. The passing of time simply hones your skills and makes you more aware of the road you have travelled.
ReplyDeleteAhh, you have your lantern and your words...not lost for long! Beautiful piece Leslie. I can so relate to the second stanza by Milosz...(One after another my former lives were departing).
ReplyDeletethe depth, sensibility, and pure poetry of your work, words, journaling (this is so much more than a blog!) and i imagine your entire living is astounding.
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful perfectly minimal and perfectly meaningful reflection on your journey!
loving the lost and found quotes!
thank you for sharing the textures and tenderness
ReplyDeleteof your beauitiful, beautiful heart:)
-Jennifer
surrounded by lanterns
ReplyDeleteI am drawn to the light
centering
and dwelling within
the lantern of my heart
oh
how your lantern glows
so sweet and tender
getting lost
ReplyDeleteonly this morning i was searching for Rebecca Solnit's lovely book
a field guide to getting lost
but it has lost itself
somewhere in the studio
but i'm not worried, things have a habit of [eventually] reappearing
when they are actually needed
as does a sense of purpose
meanwhile wandering about, lantern in hand, is a delightful means of making other perhaps unintended, discoveries
Thanks for sharing your selection of sensitive poetry in text and image.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Leslie, thanks for sharing your journey:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful wander this was Leslie - all of the words so simply and gently expressing how you/we feel; and lovely thoughts about re-discovering parts of yourself and your work, and taking new steps forward gently yet confidently. Continue to enjoy this journey...
ReplyDeleteI have just had an enormous chuckle..... I came to comment that I had just had a delicious wander through your blog, again, and I saw Fiona's comment ahead of mine. She took the words out of my mouth! I love the idea that we are out with lanterns, searching for ourselves. And the Milosz poem makes me want to rush out and read some of his work. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your experiments over the last year and the marvellous results that have come from them.
ReplyDeleteI like that word "loster"... that is where I have been for some time.
ReplyDeleteAnd that first stanza of the Milosz poem... stepping into clarity... has been my mantra for a long time... I think it is the ultimate hope for an artist... to be lost for a time and then step into that clarity before the next 'loster' time.
The concept of being out with lanterns -- looking for oneself -- is so poetic to me. The perfect phrase to describe the place you seem to be.
ReplyDeleteOh, can so empathize with this entry, Leslie; sometimes better to wander and wonder than to plan and contrive! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs a good friend and fellow artist.. I am in the same sort of loster place you seem to be... and you have one of my favorite poems by Milosz.. that first stanza... stepping into the clarity of morning has been my mantra forever.. as I think that is really what I am searching for.. the clarity that informs me as an artist and shows me the way forward.
ReplyDelete