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Finding a Voice |
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Sometimes one is moved by art. Sometimes one is moved by the story behind the art.
Last Saturday, at the Fiesta Arts Fair in San Antonio, one of the artists displaying works was Gary E. Bachers. The work displayed was from his Glorious Orchids series - swirling circles of bright flowers, radiating from a central oculus, marked by a full moon. Drawn with colored pencil, the work is amazingly detailed, beautiful, and just mysterious enough to be intriguing.
The story of the artist is also intriguing. Bachers is a native Canadian, transplanted to Texas. He was practicing family medicine in 1987 when, at the age of 38, he suffered a severe stroke. The stroke left him unable to use the right side of his body, and unable to express himself in language, either written or spoken.
I cannot imagine the frustration he must have felt, nor the determination it took to develop a second career as an artist. I do know that Bachers faced an unspeakable tragedy, and transformed it into a courageous pursuit of beauty.
Bachers and his wife are currently working on a new project, a book entitled, "Finding a Voice." They display Bachers works in elementary schools, and ask the students to write a short poem or prose piece in response to the quiet and meditative nature of the artwork. Selections from the students' writing will be matched with the art and published in the book. "We are essentially asking the students to put words to Bachers' art...words that Bachers no longer has."
In this Easter season let us remember "that our God is a redeeming God, always at work, transforming crucifixions of every kind into resurrections to new life."[1]
- Bill
[1] Gordon E. Ellis, New Beginnings: Preparing Families for Remarriage in the Church, Pilgrim Press, 1991, p. 18. |
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Imperiled Species- by Jan
One of the most famous Mandalas is the Rose Window at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. It is a magnificent circular window with its designs radiating from the center. The origin of the round Rose Window came from the Roman oculus, a Latin word for eye, embodying the concept of completeness and balance. Originally the Romans used the concept in building a round opening in the top of a dome and eventually this grew into a round stained glass window in churches. In much the same way the center of Eastern Mandalas depict the 'godhead' or divine aspect of the world.
Many spiritual traditions refer to the 'Center' as the space where God dwells. Moving to the 'Center' is often a spiritual practice. The Mandala is a map of the spiritual journey to bring one to the 'Center' to pierce the mystery.
Almost as impressive as the Notre Dame Rose Window,
 | | See the Bald Eagle? |
Mandalas at the Fiesta Arts Fair drew me to come closer. I stood and pondered the mystery of the Mandalas designed with photographic images of imperiled species. My eyes moved to the center. Like piercing the mystery of an optical illusion, I suddenly saw a butterfly, a flower, a bird, an insect. Not only are these Mandalas a remarkable art form, they also open the viewer to the mystery of Creation and the impending disappearance of certain imperiled species. Creation, more stunning than the Rose Windows. Creation - where God dwells.
*more on ecoRidge Mandalas, images, & writings of imperiled species by artist, writer, ecologist, botanist Brett Miley.
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