Friday, April 19, 2013

The Two Worlds


The Two Worlds is a work of art dedicated to my experiences in traveling to Guatemala and the impact it has had on me as a person.  My two trips to that country reminded me that I have a great respect for the natural world and that the Earth is an abundant place.  I love being there and am sometimes torn in my fantasies.  Fantasies of living there or staying for extended periods of time.  The figure on the left has a blue jay on its head, one of my favorite birds and one I always saw as a child.  The other figure has the quetzal, a bird I have never seen alive but which is represented everywhere in Guatemala from actual specimens in Church museums to the actual currency it represents freedom and elusiveness/mystery.  I filled the work with symbolism and made it small on purpose because I want to submit it to a show. 
I will list the symbols below:
Two figures - double identities/allegiances 
mouse - my power animal and favorite pet!
frog - between worlds (amphibian water-land)
goose/swan - (peep peep) Fannie Earls, Suffolk, Va.
shellfish - the Chesapeake Bay (where I grew up)
buds - untapped potential
mushrooms - phallic/decay
flowers - fulfilled potential
ruins - life experiences
grasses - abundance and prosperity
hands - handmade/trust in life
butterfly - transformation 
dragonfly - eternity also Suffolk/grams
lily - Christian iconography 
quetzal -Guatemala
blue jay - United States









The shape made between the faces of the figures and birds is really exciting, I am going to make this object which will be featured on its own blog post.  I can see it as three or four wheel thrown pieces put together.  two bowls and a base :) 


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