mary jane dodd
praying mantis wings that were respectfully collected
'he who can no longer pause to wonder
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead;
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead;
his eyes are closed.
- albert einstein
these delicate wings belong to those of the praying mantis - a creature i have been strongly drawn to since i was a child. my daughter and i found one that had been stepped on and was still living - we wrapped it up and put it in a quiet place.
some small rodents (i am guessing) ate the body and left the wings... and so now i have them... and i am grateful for this reminder of strength and fragility, of the cycle of life... of the fact that, somehow, this creature ended up in a place where i was...
small bronzes by daniel fleming
these beauties grace my home...
fortunate enough to have lived near to manhattan my whole life, to have aunts who lived in the city and who had me visit, i was brought to art museums at a young age... always knowing to never touch the sculpture - though the metal and its surface called to me - i admired from a close distance... with my camera i would try to catch light on texture, in shadows and fractures...
daniel makes small bronzes -
daniel makes it possible for me to do what i was never able to do - to run my fingers over the surface of the bronze, to hold it for however long i choose,
to admire his work not from a distance, but as up close and personal as i can be...
he cannot know what this means to me -
there is a reverence for these little figures as they stand with me at the bench...
they bring me joy
and return me to wonder...
7 comments:
I too am drawn to the beauty of metal when it is sculpted. I am jealous that you have these to run your fingers over!
Those really are beautiful sculptures and look so joyous.
So many people are repulsed by insects. I'm happy to see that another person likes them as much as I do. I was always the child who was picking up crickets and dragonflies, etc. As an adult, I was mesmerized by all the gorgeous critters during a tour of the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans.
I often go to our local museums. Sadly, I go alone because its not the type of thing Terry enjoys. Happily, I go alone to silently feel what the artist is conveying.
I can only imagine why you love your ladies so much. But I can totally understand the joy you have because they share your space.
xx, Carol
Cool little sculptures! I love sculptures too and touching them (the few that I own) puts me in an even greater awe of the mastery of the artist.
Those sculptures are just wonderful. I love that you can touch them, and move them, and "play" with them to change it up. It feeds that kid in you who wants to play and participate in the art that they are.
Lovely post. It is too easy to become so busy and hurried that we start to lose our sense of wonderment. Its good to be reminded to slow down and rediscover the small yet profound wonders that surround us.
Love this post. So many times, we rush around and do not have the time to notice the small things of nature. I'm thankful for my grandchildren, who always notice the caterpillar, spider or mantis in the yard and come yelling for me to "see"!!!
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