that not only does time fly
and do we die,
but also
that in these reckless conditions
we live at all,
and are vouchsafed,
for the duration
of certain inexplicable moments,
to know it.
—Annie Dillard,
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
 |
| Vouchsafed 3.5 x 5" postcard; acrylic and ink on cardstock abstract landscape 2019 |
8 comments:
Beautiful, this abstract landscape! It looks very winter-y to me! Vouchsafed - that's a word I've never heard before, and it's quite difficult to translate...
Simone, first and foremost: so happy to connect with you here in my blog space today!
Second: vouchsafe is a tricky word even for native speakers! I think in this bit of text it means that not only do we live at all, in apparently reckless conditions, but also we are given the gift of moments during which we KNOW that we are alive (in reckless conditions!).
Thanks for your comments about my spontaneous abstract landscape. I thoroughly enjoyed the process b/c I took a start (the other half of the piece I posted the day before) and indulged a feeling of recklessness. I started by impulsively scribbling in black vertical lines, and from there I just kept doing whatever felt right in response to what was in front of me, with barely a breath in between. Then I stopped. Done! Very satisfying.
Thank goodness for this soothing forest landscape where my spirit can rest as I ponder the reckless conditions in which I live and the knowing that I am alive. Whoa. Spectacular combination of prose and art. xo
Jen, this is what came to life after I read your blog post yesterday!
"Rodomontade" drew me in with the bright captivating oil-in-a-rain-puddle sheen of its chest, looked me RIGHT in the eye, and SQUAWKED. I obeyed. Went directly to my studio, no resistance, no preciousness. I just straight-out went with my gut and played till I caught my breath and said, Done.
Thanks for your affirming nod to combination of prose and art.
That path leads to the hike I took with my daughter, about a million years ago.We climbed Mt. Moosilauke! I close my eyes and I am there. When I looked up vouch·safe it also translated it to Hebrew. The Hebrew translation "non-stop". You are my prose and art mentor!
Carol, LOVE the magic of my following wordless inner cues with art materials in my studio and having YOU time travel about a million years from your perch in Israel to climb Mt. Moosilauke with your daughter. Nothing better!
Also love that vouchsafe gave us all pause and a bit of polish to our vocabulary. A good day's work, I'd say!
Thank you, as ever, for your comments.
New word learned, new author searched. I think a small storm is moving in, so I will head up the hill to home. Warm fire is waiting, and maybe a cup of hot cocoa as well. :)
Fun to get your interpretation here, Sheila! See ya in front of the fire!
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