Sometimes the spirit of the image just leaps out at me and this becomes a rapid, spontaneous process which happens right away. The Yin and the Yang hit me instantly and forcefully, for example. More often than not it takes time. Sometimes it takes a very long time. For example, Lubber’s Grace took a long time to solidify as a title. It is a fabulous image and has a weight and ponderous, ungainly aspect in some ways, yet it is gentle and graceful at the same time. I wanted a title that captured both aspects in a manner which was respectful to the image, and I hope I achieved that. Shinto Cloud arose as a title after a lot of thought and education on my part. I had in mind the organic, creative force apparent in the image, but I couldn’t express it. Then, I learned and did some research about the Shinto creation myth and knew that it fit the image perfectly. Of course, occasionally I title merely what I see and less what I feel - as Orb and Plane which is an Orb and a Plane. Even so, there is more to the image than that, but the simplicity of the title has appeal and it doesn’t presuppose. Sometimes that is the choice. Why are some titles in Latin? Sometimes I see a title in my mind, but the English words I come up with don’t seem to fit or carry too much ‘baggage’ influencing their meanings adversely. Taking the concept I see within the image and defining it with a Latin phrase lets me avoid these issues. I can then describe what I see in a novel way which is evocative on a wholly new level because of the fuzzy nature of translation back from Latin. A great example for this is Tempus Celere Proserpit which roughly translates back to English as ‘swift time creeps forward like a serpent’ - the point being that while everything appears to be rushing quickly by in the image, the focal center is divorced from that motion. A good friend who saw the image, and heard me describing the title, explained it to me as the philosophical element termed the ‘still point’ which evokes the same relationship. I had not heard this phrase, but I understood immediately what it meant, having seen it within Tempus Celere Proserpit. The fact that I discovered a priori this universal concept in the image and reflected it in my title still amazes me! I see something different from the title! You may see something completely different in any given image, and I encourage you to use your own imagination to come up with alternative interpretations from what the titles suggest. Images often speak differently to different people. I only hope that your seeing what I see as evoked by the print title gives you a deeper understanding of an image without distracting from your own feeling as you contemplate the image in your own time. Personal Note On an off topic, I find that dried dragon fruit pitaya fruit sold as Trader Joe's Dragon Fruit at Trader Joe's market helps my diabetic blood glucose control - but Trader Joe's is always running out of their dragon fruit. If you ever visit a Trader Joe's make sure you ask for it - and harrass them if they don't have it in stock! It makes a significant difference for me in my personal battle against diabetes without drugs and medications. |
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 Click here to complete order. Questions about framing? Custom matting? Call 650 592-8469 (10 - 5 PST). Tour the C Ribet Gallery California Wild Mushroom Art Slide Show or go to Gallery California main site. Artist note: Are you a diabetic as I am? I have up a website to help other diabetics deal with the disease so they don't have to go through the learning curve I did. You can visit the website at DiabeticLifeDiet.com dietary control of type 2 diabetes. You can now find updated dietary control of diabetes information at the dragon fruit health benefits pages at Foodlywise.com website as well as info on varieties of pitaya fruit and pitahaya fruit - known as the dragon fruit or strawberrypear. Dragon fruit pitaya pages and Dragon fruit pitahaya pages are going up with more info on growing pitaya. New Foodlywise Tibetan goji berries health benefits pages are now up and Diabetes Life Guide is now up to explain diabetes lifestyle intervention as the companion to dietary control of diabetes at DiabeticLifeDiet dietary control of diabetes website. Learn about how be be your own diabetic diet guide and even how a vegetarian diabetic diet can be the answer to the question of what is a diabetic diet in the first place. Visit the new Homeschool Online Program in Latin and the Free Homeschool Online Curriculum Program in Greek or visit the Free Homeschool Online Curriculum Program main website. |
