I’ve never been one to live on the edge.
But this week has been full of edges. I’m just back from an amazing ten days in Oregon (opening the 2016 National Photo Encaustic Exhibition and teaching two back-to-back workshops). Before I left I was fixated on the Oregon coast. Couldn’t wait to get out there. All I could think about were edges. Trees, Mountains, Beaches, Horizons, Rocks, and Textures.
I became fascinated with the idea of edges—where something stops and another begins.
Tension lies in an edge; it’s where learning resides and change happens. I seem to be telling anyone who will listen, that I’m turning 50 at the end of the month. Somehow 50 seems to be an edge for me. Not because I’m feeling old, quite the contrary, because I finally feel like I have arrived. I’m pushing myself more than I have in the past. Life is a journey and it all comes in the right time. I don’t believe the status quo is good enough. I know I have the power to live the life I want. It’s all my choice. And I’m just now finding my truth and my happiness.
Every day as I walked and walked the beaches I learned new things. My heart was filled with love, gratitude, beauty, and even a little sadness. As the tide drifted out I learned to let go and to embrace the edges.
I thought about my art. Someone once suggested that I work in wax because it covers the image…..that I’m hiding behind it. She extrapolated it to mean that I wasn’t willing to let people see the true me. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather I work in wax because of its luminosity and the ability to see the image more deeply.
When making art, find your edge. Push yourself. Be uncomfortable. Understand where the tension happens…..and the magic will follow. I promise.
The Oregon coast taught me to let go, love, and be open to the next 50 years. I am so filled with gratitude.
With all good wishes,
