My piece “Five Hindrances Dissolving” appears in the current “Euphoria” juried exhibit at Durham Art Gallery, on display until April 13, 2024. It was awarded Best 3D Artwork!
My idea to paint on reclaimed shipping pallets carries on naturally from an initiative to use the wood for frames. I love the look and feel of these often mangled and worn constructions, coming to me having traversed thousands of kilometres; in short, they have a history.
I had the idea for this piece about a year ago, but the half-finished artwork sat undisturbed during the busy December season. When I heard about the juried show “Euphoria”, I wanted to apply, and this was the little nudge I needed.
But first there were the holidays, with family visiting, and doing annual store inventory. And the promise of a bit of time carved out in January was why I planned to go away on a Vipassana* meditation retreat both this year and last.
So my application to the show was made with the fixative still drying.
The work is done with pastel on wood, with parts of it carved like a woodblock used for printing. The different slats show portions of images, some connected, some disjointed, with the aim of recalling the way our minds serve up a jumble of memories and desires. The “five hindrances” refers to a subject the Buddha talked about: the things that keep us from working (meditating) and walking on the Noble Path, symbolized by the hands in repose.
My thanks go out to the jury for their work in sifting through mountains of applications from far and wide; the show is truly amazing. Congratulations to gallery director Jennifer Norman for mounting a challenging but exciting collection of artwork, in a freshly-painted space.
*Vipassana meditation is an ancient method of training the mind in concentration and awareness, with the aim of calming and purifying the mind. The courses are taught free-of-charge at centres around the world (the closest centre is outside of Alliston, Ontario). I attended my first course about 20 years ago, and have developed a daily practice which helps me in many ways to stay more balanced and content. This year I was serving (volunteering) in the kitchen. While we prepared meals and washed dishes, we also had plenty of time for meditation with the 100-or-so other students. I highly recommend taking the 10-day course!
