Living in the Present
Since December 2011, my husband and I have lived abroad from our home country of the U.S., moving to a new country every few years. Because my art is greatly inspired by the countries we live in, the window series became a long-term project reconnecting with my roots. Every two to three years, when we return to the U.S. for a visit, I etch one of these windows. Revisiting my old haunts but also observing the changes through the artmaking is a beautiful experience I make time for in the midst of the busy social calendar with family. You can read more about this project in ‘Earth Day- Windows’.
The windows came from a farm property that belonged to my late grandfather and grandmother. I hand etch and ink each window capturing places from my childhood home in rural Ohio, America that hold childhood memories. But, change is good and change is inevitable. One of the most rewarding elements of being an artist is how the art marking process itself can reveal the real meaning. Early in the project, I decided that capturing how these places are changing since my childhood memories is a relevant facet of these subjects.
For window no.6, I wanted to capture what was left of our former family orchard. I have fond memories of climbing the trees to pick sour pie cherries for customers and plucking some to snack on. In the late summer we ate and canned everything from apple sauce to peaches and pears. I even remember the chore of mowing the grass around all those trees which could be a bit of an awkward task. The five trees that remain, from what was a sizable orchard, were sold with the family home. But my old neighbor Bob is still there so I paid him a visit.
While sketching ‘Three Apple Trees’ – window no.6, I chatted with Bob about this and that including his late wife Betty, who taught me to sew. Everything is connected. Besides being an artist, I teach and practice yoga and I am practicing being present. Listening to Bob talk, feeling the cool grass under my feet, and learning to really look at the changing light and details of three apple trees was a beautiful moment of just being present amidst all the transitions and change.
In considering the past I recognize that I hold sentimental feelings towards the area I grew up. In considering the future I recognize that I would never be happy moving back to that same area. We cannot live in the past. It does not exist. The trees have died, the orchard has shrunk, the orchard and my childhood home are no longer in my family. I can be grateful for the memories, while grounding myself in the sensations around me. That cool grass on my feet, the breeze in the air are a pleasing sensation keeping me present. The relationship with the places and people who shaped who I am today are more true than the divisions. Living in the present with this hyperawareness to the beautiful little details is how we continue to live sustainably.
*The brief video making this video can be viewed on Instagram.