PrecipiceA personal project reflecting a point in life existing on the precipice, considering both self reflection and the state of the world in a larger global and historical sense.
|
|
On the Precipice of A Circle: A Series of Work in Evolution
The following images of artwork and description are reflective of my preliminary journey leading up to my departure, my trip over the Atlantic and my initial reactions to Berlin, Germany, experiences abroad, and interpretation of my life and the state of world around me, through visual art.
The following images of artwork and description are reflective of my preliminary journey leading up to my departure, my trip over the Atlantic and my initial reactions to Berlin, Germany, experiences abroad, and interpretation of my life and the state of world around me, through visual art.
On the precipice of a circle, questioning existence.
Above the abyss. Unknown. Unfamiliar. Unsure. It is as if I jumped off into mysterious sea of cold water but I'm hanging in suspension, not truly knowing if I made the jump because there has yet to be a splash or chill of the waters wrapping around me anxious with anticipation to my core. At the brink of alone. Completely on my own. Everything is moving so quickly I can barely stop to think, to take it in, though I know I can't define how I feel completely, or decisively. This series of work, explores my questioning, my evolving, my current state of mind and existence - in question. Layers. Layering work. Layering lines and shapes. Layers of paint. Layers of graphics. Layers of questions, of pedagogy, potential, perspective, all linked and layered in my mind, in my artwork, through my education.
Am I expecting too much from this experience? How much can this tell me about myself as an educator, my role in education, as a teacher, interactions with students and coworkers? Will it be relevant or too different to determine? Will I understand what is going on around me...How much German do I really need to know?
What am I forgetting? Am I prepared? Am I ready to take off, for this flight for this journey? Tangled questions tantalizing.
Flux. Fluidity. Flow. Flowing. Reflexivity. Reflectivity.
Spontaneous action of paint splatter, washes, layers and unknowns are a metaphor for all of the messes, the unknowns, the uncontrollables, the obstacles and challenges along the way, along our path our experiences in life. This chaos of contrast or compositional moment muddled in paint seemingly imperfect parallels with my pedagogical perspective of importance of imperfection, perspective, process, and producing these new layers that show beauty within knowledge of our mistakes, our progress, the paths we have taken build these layers and build our own maps.
There are no smooth surfaces. The world is a textured place.
Layers. Textures of experience.
This flux, flow, spontaneous, emotional, action, element of creation is counteracted within these works, within these maps and processes. Marked. Rigid. Detail. Deliberate. Delineate. Intent. Intentional. Spaces. In-between. In-between Spaces.
In this space I wonder, what will happen as I bridge to Berlin, as I bridge a new layer, a new space, a new beginning.
Unfamiliar and new. It is a time to begin to embrace the wanderlust (a word taken from German actually) of this experience and dive into the abyss. Knowing most likely I can learn to build a bridge back to some understanding. I am overwhelmed by the chaos of the situation, but know I need to keep perspective and recognize I have only just gotten here. This experience is not something I will be able to micromanage or control in a way I often attempt to do and pushing myself to reach some unattainable goals or perfection, but a time to embrace the flow and learn from observation, listening, helping, and being flexible internally and externally. I know these challenges will be very personal as I will be spending a lot of time alone and reflecting - a challenge different than I would have experienced back in Cincinnati. I can't say I know the outcome, or that this will indefinitely make me a better teacher, but I know I will grow, I will learn, I will be challenged and I will try my best to do my best. I believe these guiding ideas will be important to ground me when I am hanging on the edge, uncertain, and have helped me begin to think through some of the haze of the anxiety around me and how to strategically work through these things and consider them as I begin to teach and live in a new and foreign country.
Above the abyss. Unknown. Unfamiliar. Unsure. It is as if I jumped off into mysterious sea of cold water but I'm hanging in suspension, not truly knowing if I made the jump because there has yet to be a splash or chill of the waters wrapping around me anxious with anticipation to my core. At the brink of alone. Completely on my own. Everything is moving so quickly I can barely stop to think, to take it in, though I know I can't define how I feel completely, or decisively. This series of work, explores my questioning, my evolving, my current state of mind and existence - in question. Layers. Layering work. Layering lines and shapes. Layers of paint. Layers of graphics. Layers of questions, of pedagogy, potential, perspective, all linked and layered in my mind, in my artwork, through my education.
Am I expecting too much from this experience? How much can this tell me about myself as an educator, my role in education, as a teacher, interactions with students and coworkers? Will it be relevant or too different to determine? Will I understand what is going on around me...How much German do I really need to know?
What am I forgetting? Am I prepared? Am I ready to take off, for this flight for this journey? Tangled questions tantalizing.
Flux. Fluidity. Flow. Flowing. Reflexivity. Reflectivity.
Spontaneous action of paint splatter, washes, layers and unknowns are a metaphor for all of the messes, the unknowns, the uncontrollables, the obstacles and challenges along the way, along our path our experiences in life. This chaos of contrast or compositional moment muddled in paint seemingly imperfect parallels with my pedagogical perspective of importance of imperfection, perspective, process, and producing these new layers that show beauty within knowledge of our mistakes, our progress, the paths we have taken build these layers and build our own maps.
There are no smooth surfaces. The world is a textured place.
Layers. Textures of experience.
This flux, flow, spontaneous, emotional, action, element of creation is counteracted within these works, within these maps and processes. Marked. Rigid. Detail. Deliberate. Delineate. Intent. Intentional. Spaces. In-between. In-between Spaces.
In this space I wonder, what will happen as I bridge to Berlin, as I bridge a new layer, a new space, a new beginning.
Unfamiliar and new. It is a time to begin to embrace the wanderlust (a word taken from German actually) of this experience and dive into the abyss. Knowing most likely I can learn to build a bridge back to some understanding. I am overwhelmed by the chaos of the situation, but know I need to keep perspective and recognize I have only just gotten here. This experience is not something I will be able to micromanage or control in a way I often attempt to do and pushing myself to reach some unattainable goals or perfection, but a time to embrace the flow and learn from observation, listening, helping, and being flexible internally and externally. I know these challenges will be very personal as I will be spending a lot of time alone and reflecting - a challenge different than I would have experienced back in Cincinnati. I can't say I know the outcome, or that this will indefinitely make me a better teacher, but I know I will grow, I will learn, I will be challenged and I will try my best to do my best. I believe these guiding ideas will be important to ground me when I am hanging on the edge, uncertain, and have helped me begin to think through some of the haze of the anxiety around me and how to strategically work through these things and consider them as I begin to teach and live in a new and foreign country.
