A Visit to The Cathedral of Saint John The Divine

 I have lived in the New York City area all my life and I had never visited the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  www.stjohndivine.org  What finally inspired me to go there was a review in the paper about an exhibit by the artist Jane Alexander.  

"Surveys (from the Cape of Good Hope) is the first major North American survey of tableaux, sculptures, and photomontages by important South African artist Jane Alexander. Her artwork speaks of lasting disfigurations in her native South Africa, yet raises issues about human nature that resonate with viewers internationally. This site-specific exhibition at the Cathedral allows audiences to experience the familiarity and mutability of Alexander's universe."

The work consists of sculptures primarily constructed of fiberglass and then painted.  They have an other worldly quality and are both fascinating and disturbing at the same time connecting animal and human forms.  Placing them in a religious setting gives them enormous power.

The Metamorphoses by Ovid

For my summer semester in collage the theme is "The Metamorphoses" by Ovid.  These are stories featuring the figures of classical mythology.  "At its extremes, passion is represented by transformation, or metamorphosis, through love, death, or radical physical change.  Metamorphosis, for Ovid, is a skeleton key to the workings of life itself and the workings of art as well."

The featured collage is interpreted by me from the following passage:
"Meanwhile, Ceres, fearful for her daughter, searched for her in every land, on every sea but in vain.  Dawn coming up from ocean at the break of day with hair still damp saw Ceres looking everywhere, and Hesperus, the evening star, saw her at dusk, looking still.  She lit torches made of pine from Mt. Etna and carried them in each hand through the frosty night, never resting, and still searching for her daughter, searching from the rising of the sun to its going down."

A Wall Hanging For Scarlet

The latest addition to my family arrived about two months ago and her name is Scarlet.  In keeping with my decision to make artful wall hangings for the new arrivals I decided to go ahead a create one for her.  Her mom wanted something "girly" so instead of baby animals I found plastic fairies to help decorate the piece along with flowers, colorful stones and butterflies.  I found a wonderful website where I could custom order unpainted letters to size and the the result is featured below.  I do commissions so if anyone is interested I would be happy to give out further information by writing to me at my e-mail address...sfidlon@gmail.com