BE BACK IN MAY

My faithful followers.............I am taking the month of April off from blogging.  Sometimes life weighs us down, and we need to regain our balance.   Be back May 1st.  

Kandinsky's COMPOSITIONS

Wassily Kandinsky's COMPOSITIONS was a series of ten paintings created between 1910 and 1939.  Of the ten, only seven survived.  The first three were destroyed during World War II.  

A common thread runs through the Compositions as Kandinsky searched for a formal language that would powerfully express his philosophical and spiritual concerns.  We'll now learn about the seven remaining Compositions.  

Composition IV ~ 1911

Kandinsky wrote, "From the very onset, the word 'composition' sounded to me like a prayer."  His first composition was done in 1910, the last one in 1939.  

• The left side of this painting is teeming with agitation.  It shows dark activity in a world gone mad.  In contrast, the right side is calmer and lighter....synonymous with spiritual regeneration which is symbolized by the blue mountain in the center.  
• Note the two almost straight lines that divide the painting...and the three splotches of red that look like men wearing hats.  Two of those unrecognizable figures have their hands wrapped around those black straight lines.  Are they lances?  Critics have suggested that Composition IV may symbolize the delicate balance between a violent and peaceful society.  It may represent Moscow during the revolutionary time in Russia.

I'm still on the outside looking into the world of abstract art.  To me, the short black lines on the left remind me of a horse's mane.  I see the top of a red heart in the lower right corner.  I see a rainbow and a round yellow circle that could be the sun.  Toward the lower right, I see two people.  What it all means is as clear as mud to me.  But, this shows me that I'm able to look at abstract paintings and relate as best I can.  It's a start.

Supposedly, Kandinsky took up abstract art after he noticed a picture in his studio that was lying on its side.  He instantly recognized only forms and colors that fascinated him.  That's when he decided that his work should express the inner character of things, not their surface appearance.  He rather sought to reveal the essence of a painting through shape, line and color.

Like Kandinsky's gradual transition from conventional to abstract art, spring is the transitional season between winter and summer.

........................On a personal note, Buffy is staying with us through Friday while her parents are in D.C. at congressional meetings regarding small retail businesses.  I've given Buffy the people name, Sally O'Malley.  There's a special story behind the name.  That's what I called my beloved Emma.  I think she'd be happy to pass on the affectionate name to this little Yorkie.  

Snow fell yesterday.  The three of us sat and watched the flakes get bigger and accumulate.  It was an April 1st gift that fell from the heavens to refresh the earth and help push the wildflowers out of the ground.  

Tomorrow we'll look at another of Kadinsky's Compositions.  

MY FINISHED PROJECT

Remember the project I've been working on?  Well, today is TA-DA day!  This is what I created out of a stash of miscellaneous wooden beads collected from broken and discarded jewelry bought at thrift stores, yard sales and eBay sellers.  Some one somewhere no longer wanted the beads and got rid of them.  That's where I come in with my designs.  I work at making beauty out of the broken.  This endeavor has and does bring so much happy time to my life, there's no describing it in words.  I am a proponent of fostering one's creative spirit, because that's where peace and harmony exists within us.  The beloved birch branch is from a forest in Wisconsin.  The piece is my way of genuflecting before Mother Nature while thanking Her for all her wondrous gifts.  Like the Giving Tree I wrote about the other day, She gives us her ALL.

• Wooden beads represent Nature's beauty and resilience.  Each bead retains the energy and life force of the tree it came from.  This natural connection fosters a deeper sense of peace and stability.  
• Tibetan Buddhist monks wear wooden bead bracelets as symbols of simplicity and mindfulness to remind them to remain present, grounded and connected to their spiritual goals.  (Have you noticed how Richard Gere is always seen wearing a wooden bead bracelet on his right hand?)
• Mala beads, typically 108 beads, are used in Buddhist meditation to count mantras or breaths.  Mala's aren't limited to any specific spiritual practice and can be used by anyone seeking mindfulness and focus.
• What is the logic of 108 beads?  Research shows that the diameter of the Sun multiplied by 108 equals the distance between the Sun and the Earth.  The diameter of the Moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between the Earth and the Moon.  The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.  That is the reason for 108 mala beads.
• Wooden beads are a perfect way to bring a touch of earthiness into one's home.

When I look at this wall hanging, I wonder...........where did the wood in each bead originate?  what is each bead's story?  who cut the tree down?  who shaped the wood into a bead?  who chose to apply color to the wood cuz the beads are different colors?  where did each bead travel to end up in my stash where it has been given a new life and new purpose?  

The piece could represent the four stages of life:  childhood, early adulthood (teens to 40), middle adulthood (40s to mid-60s) and late adulthood (mid-60s onward).

Or....it could represent the prayers that are privately prayed by the people who bless our home with their presence.  Do we now have a prayer wall?

Just stop to think how many prayers are being said every day across the globe?  in how many languages?  how many cultures?  to how many divine beings?  how many tears are cried while the prayers are being said?  how many prayers are unspoken, how many are whispered, and how many are screamed out in despair?     

By combining all the beads as I did, we now have an original wall hanging that mirrors human brokenness and being tossed aside.  Yet, no matter how broken we may become, someone will come along and appreciate us for who we genuinely are.  Finding beauty in the broken is my secret to keeping my soul happy.  Give me a box of tangled up discarded and broken jewelry, my tools, and I'm sitting on a step to Heaven.  

The wall hanging doesn't have a title yet, but I'll come up with one.