Small Beginnings
Life on the Edge
Copyright by Lynn Bridge
Glazed ceramics by Roberta Mitchell
13″ x 12″ x 1 1/2″
For those of you who saw this picture, first in the sidebar of my blog, then in the header, and wondered, “What in the world?”, here is an answer.
There are many cars and pickup trucks around town that are called ‘home’ by their owners. Most certainly the old minivan I saw on an early-morning walk was one of these.
A woman sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for a semi-clad man to come out of the park restroom, carrying a supply of water and looking as if he had attempted to clean up in the open-air sink.
I was thinking about living out-of-doors, not by choice, and about how much more difficult daily tasks are under those circumstances. I thought about the dirt which is a constant companion, and the various pieces of life that one attempts to keep from dying off.
This abstract mosaic came out of those musings. Gritty, repetitious, mesmerizing in places, and painfully sharp in others. Amorphous shapes stuck together with whatever glue a person can find.
I think it is the launching of a new, and much larger idea. Stayed tuned.
I can’t wait to see more pieces in this interesting vein! “Life on the Edge” makes me think of barnacles that aren’t really homeless, but don’t get much choice in where they go once they attach to something.
You mention two artists under the photo, you and Roberta Mitchell. Did you assemble her ceramics?
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Hi, Hannah. Thanks for stopping by.
Speaking of barnacles, I have a small, furry cat who sleeps on me at night, clinging to the ridges. I call her my furry barnacle!
I like your barnacle metaphor for my work.
The ceramicist is my mother. I ask her to make things to put into my mosaics. I usually don’t give her any direction. When I saw those extruded things, it was not immediately obvious where they would be used, but I’m quite pleased with the way they nestle with these neighbors.
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This is an eye-catching piece made more poignant by the story that goes along with it. I look forward to seeing the progeny of this initial work. I always think it amazing how some of the most raw aspects of life can be so inspirational.
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Hi, Stirling. Thanks for visiting and for your comments. I have saved your book recommendation, Teaching Visual Culture, because I want to read it sometime.
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Lynn….This piece is absolutely mesmerizing….just fabulous….I love, love it….it is so interesting to hear about the origin and what prompted the piece…. I would never have guessed….
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Thanks so much, CM. I guess I think about the down-and-out people a lot because I see them all the time in my neighborhood greenbelt and park, and converse with them when I work at the free food pantry downtown. It is so easy to go right down the slope once a person starts slipping over the edge.
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How wonderful that you and your mom contribute to the same wonderful art!
Cats as barnacles…very apt!
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Yeah, Mom’s 93 and I hope she can keep making ceramics for another 10 years. Still, I am grateful for every day.
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Absolutely beautiful!
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Thanks, Cristina! Thanks for stopping by, too.
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Lynn,
I really enjoy reading how an experience – or thought process – has inspired this creation!
I have an immediate “need” to touch this piece! Plus, I could study it for a long, long time and ask myself what it is about your work that speaks to me. It’s almost impossible to define, but your work truly inspires me – the dimension, color, and form!
I look forward to seeing more work inspired by this first piece.
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Deb, thanks for your most kind words! However, if you touch this piece, it will be a bit like touching a prickly pear. 🙂 For some reason, I occasionally feel the need to make dangerous art.
I have linked your blog to both my blogs; the art blog, for obvious reasons, but my family history blog because it is largely Western, and you fit right in there!
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Lynn I was fascinated to read your explanation of your mosaic piece. Understanding you thought process adds so much to what I as the experiencer (I think that’s a new word I just made up)of it now have access to. It sends my thoughts into many different places. I cant wait to see where you are going to go with this.
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Hi, Kadira. Thanks for stopping by and making your nice comment! I like the word ‘experiencer’.
In my mosaic work, I rarely start from a purely aesthetic point; I’m usually ‘up to something’ behind the scenes. That’s why it is important for me to write about my art work- so the experiencers have some hope of ‘getting it’!
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