Making Art by plugging into a good memory
The Monarch and the butterfly are about my dad and healing that took place through doing my art. While I was in college years ago I was sent home for exhaustion. I was working 37.5 hours on work study and taking a full load of 18 credits at the time. Arriving at home, I slept a lot and soon I was recovered and was well.
The Art
Sitting peacefully in our family basement I began to draw a baby fox and a monarch butterfly. The fox was gently playing with the monarch that was stretched out on the grass. I completed this piece on a large flat strip of cardboard because that is what I had at the time. I spent hours on it and lost myself, time was not relevant. Looking at the patterns and shadows from a photo, I just transferred them onto my cardboard canvas. It turned out well and it gave me peace.
The healing of Art
Real healing came later when I once again returned home from college and my dad had framed it with some old trim pieces that he painted black. He hung it on the wall in the family room…center stage. Although much here is left unspoken the feeling and sense of well being that I had was priceless.
When my parents aged and moved out of the family home this drawing was discarded; this makes me sad. It has taken me decades to remember that the Art has always been in me. My identity, my purpose, my bent. With all this in mind I created this piece “Buried Treasure” and following is it’s poem:
Buried Treasure
Memories of Old, relics and toys
Fond Memories, youthful joys
We put them in boxes, set on a shelf
Not realizing that we are losing ourselves
Not Pandora’s box, not useless things
But our actual identity that gave us wings
So butterflies and foxes in Misty moon
Reflections of joy…
Sing out happy tunes
Cindy Ann Reed