Keyhole Cosmos
This piece is going to be donated to the Cre-8 Art Gala in support of the Jacksonville-Onslow Council for the Arts. The Gala will be on the evening of October 19th, 2017.
Keyhole Cosmos - 2017
If you follow me on Instagram, you're probably very familiar with this piece. I've shared my progress fairly steadily (even when it wasn't pretty!).
A local artist friend of mine said she felt tension when she looked at this piece.
YES.
That's exactly what I wanted - for the viewer to feel what it is to be encroached upon and have boundaries completely ignored. Further, what it is to be seen as a commodity to be consumed rather than a human being.
I also wanted the viewer to see the woman's struggle to maintain serenity within that tension. She's not looking at the ladders, though she must be aware of them since she's closed the door to her inner sanctuary.
She's contemplating the bees who are gathering the sustenance she's freely providing them, while clutching her arms in a classic defensive pose.
To me, it seems like we're in a time when we, as a society, are more openly sharing about ourselves - our perspectives, our joys, our struggles. I deeply appreciate that openness and find it to be an encouragement for me to continue to share here.
However, I've begun to notice that within this increase in openness, a sense of entitlement can develop. It's incredibly easy to slip into the mindset of feeling owed access to information or the lived experiences of another person.
Or to feel as if that person needs to justify their existence to us.
They don't.
So, boundaries are a necessity. They are healthy and they should be honored.
We, who sit on the other side of those boundaries, must also find a balanced way of living within them. Boundaries, if they're not carefully considered and maintained, can become restrictions. The means of protecting our space (be that physical, emotional, spiritual, etc.) is not meant to be our cage.
Some pieces I create make me stop and think. They inspire dialogue.
Other pieces are the other way around. They are borne of my inner contemplations or ongoing conversations happening around me.
For me, this piece is both.
I hope it is for you, too.
This piece is available as a print in my Shop.