Before, Now, then After
Lightsabre, light speed, packing light, lights and darks, morning light, twilight, light at the end of the tunnel, headlight, light winds, green light, light day at work, charge of the light brigade, incandescent light, light up display, nightlight, northern lights, light housekeeping, cold light of day, limelight, come to light, light bulb, in a new light, lighten up, light aircraft, sunlight, light snow, lamplight, light the fuse, punch the lights out, ray of light, street light, light blue, see the light, light steps, last light, light on outta here, moonlight, light as a feather, the falling light, daylight, flashlight, red light, blinded by the light, ceiling light, light touch, firelight, highlight, fading light, enlighten, light of my life ...
Once this concept works into your consciousness, it is everywhere. Welcome to my obsession. The above are just off the top of my head. No googling or homework. Just "light the fire" and .... Half of the above are names given to pieces of artwork I have done over the years, but the others now have to go on my list of potential names. Notice too, the emotional weight of so many of the above phrases. Poetry in two or three syllables. Moonlight. Light of my life... I live in a house of light, everyday.
Wait, house of light. Lighthouse. Yep, that one has been on the list for years and finally, I have brought it to light. Er, life. This panel features a lighthouse, that guardian of the coast charged with steering voyagers home to safety. A few years back, I made a piece called "Superior Gyroscope" thinking of this as a life hack, something that each of us could use to navigate, stay upright, on fleek, as it were. We all need that. This piece on your screen is of a beacon, a bright thing used for guidance through storms and fog and darkness. We could all use one of these, and metaphorically, I'm sure many of you already have one. Something brilliant and steadfast, oscillating endlessly with a timed pattern of flashes to let you know you are on course, a metronome of illumination to show you what to avoid -- the rocks here -- and where there is safe passage home. Small at a distance, but bright. Turbulent seas be damned.
The title is a simple "Before, Now, then After." This piece is also about time and the way we parse everything in an orderly three part framework that strangely resets every morning when we get out of bed. Lights out. Darkness. Morning light. The cycle continues; the lighthouse pulses.
Happy spring my friends. It's fiercely late this year. Snowed five inches on the hill on Tuesday night. Still looking for buds. The lake has already warmed to 37 degrees. Yay. AND yet, the sunlight is stronger and hotter on the face every day; the explosion of green is nigh. AND this paragraph is a metaphor. We got this. We will blossom soon.
Buy art my friends. It keeps the lights on around here.
Peace and love and hugs,
B mac and Sarah V
P.S. There is another long list that speaks of light without using the word. We will save for later: glimmer, sparkle, glisten, dusk, dawn, gleam, fade, brighten, illuminate...
P.P.S. I have always liked the notion of light as something more than an intangible. A light pile would be like a woodpile. A bowl of light. Shoveling light. Packing light. "Light Box" is a 5' x 10' piece of mine in a house in Florida. "Intangible Something" is another that size, also in Florida.
