taking up space
juxtaposition paintings - the first four ready for mounting
Thank you for joining me here for this quiet little conversation, taking a moment to be with these thoughts, words and images.
In an earlier quiet little conversation i wrote to you about the marks only you can make. Recently I was reading an article about some of the current planetary astrological configurations. In the article was a a reference to taking up space - I had a flash of insight that it's not just enough to understand what our unique mark is, we also need to actually take up space with it.
To me, it is a beautiful corollary to the idea of being visible...and you know I've definitely been on a journey about visibility! I don't mean to imply we need to have some big flashy noisy loud visibility, unless of course that's your thing, then please, do that! In whatever way makes sense for you - in whatever way you are led...that is your own unique way forward with your mark.
I really believe part of our story here is to come to understand the nature of our own individual mark, and then to be diligent in finding ways to show up with our mark, to take up space with our mark, to be in service of our mark.
For me showing up with these quiet little conversations is an important part of my particular mark. I'm blown away and deeply honoured every week by the ways people tell me these conversations impact their lives. And of course the other big part of my mark are my cloth paintings and the gift of sharing them with you.
The cloth paintings of the juxtapositions body of work are nearly complete. Four of five are ready for their photo shoot, with the fifth nearing the end of the machine stitching process. Once they are all complete I’ll arrange for fabrication of their custom metal frames.
soft little side views of the second juxtapositions painting
And as always, I want to express my gratitude to be living and working on the ancestral & unceded territories of the hən̓̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples.I honour the incredible depths of grace, courage and perseverance of Indigenous Peoples, and look to them as an example as they find their voices amidst the noise and obfuscation of colonization.
until next time,
Mardell