I’m usually not too meticulous with my measurements and element placement. It’s hard for me to be patient enough to take the time to be exact in what I’m doing, so normally my pieces are a blend of elements and paint splatters that go where they go because of the tilt of the table or the amount of force I use when shaking my brush.
That’s why this piece is taking me so long. Measuring takes time, and patience can be exhausting. Yet, being exact is the whole point of this piece.
This piece is made to represent a compass- a tool we use to find our way when were wandering and need to find our way home. It not only helps us when we are lost, but keeps us from getting lost in the first place if we know how to use it and check it constantly. I began to think of all the ways we find our way in life. I think there are a lot of things, but when thinking about a compass, and true north, the way we find our way is through the constants. Our scenery changes, we pass rivers and mountains on our way, and we are so small in comparison with what’s around us that it would be easy to get lost. But because north is a constant, we can always figure out where we are. We can trust that our compass, by always pointing in the same direction, will lead us home because it gives us a constant that never changes, something we can judge our own position by.
The laws of nature are examples of constants, and so using geometry in this piece seemed like a no-brainer. Math is difficult for me, but it is also reassuring because for each equation, there is an exact answer. Those exact answers lead us to truths we can rely on- building earthquake resistant buildings and safer cars. Fortunately, I wasn’t trying to build anything, just represent the laws that we rely on, so the hardest part for me was using the compass I got steadily enough that my circles would be perfectly round. I did fine until I had to cut out the rice paper I used to add text to parts of my circle. I had to work on those pieces of paper for quite a while before I got them to be the right size and shape.
The splatters were my idea of what is inconstant- the things that can confuse us and cloud our judgement. Our interpretation of things like history, relationships, personalities, misfortunes. These splatters are not clear cut. There is not an exact answer that can always be found, though we should never stop trying to find one.
Sorry, I hope I don’t sound preachy. I just wanted to share some of the thoughts I had as I created this piece. I’ll let you take from it what you will. If you feel like sharing, though, please do! My jumbled thoughts are always brought into focus by what others are able to see.
Being so meticulous about this one makes it even harder for me to know when I’m finished- should I add the letters N,S,E,W to the arrows? Should I use the rest of my quilled paper pieces? Should I add a little more text? Or paper? Let me know what you think. In the meantime, if I keep thinking about compasses and the symbols of knowing where were going, I’m sure I’ll figure it out at some point.
Very unusual piece of work, I am fascinated by it! the texture created by the paper coils and the contrast of the splatters. I am glad you shared your concept too. Thanks!
Thank you Sandra. I hope my ideas were easy to follow… for some reason I had a hard time expressing myself this time around. But at least there are pics. :)