Be a Compass

Be A Compass

"Be a Compass" - acrylic on aluminum panel, 10" x 12".  Available here and at Artfinder.


We are moving in wider circles
We are opening our circle
We are moving in wider circles
We are opening our circles

Oh be a compass
I'll be your lighthouse
Speak your words with triumph
And I will watch your mouth

I'll march with you my sister
To your place of fearing
We'll dive into those waters
Swim into the clearing

from "Wider Circles" by Rising Appalachia 

After more than a year of narrowing our circles to the smallest possible sphere, we are beginning to move in wider circles.  Not me, yet.  But the world around me - restaurants, shops, people.  Wider circles.  And soon, me, too.   

What grabs me about this song, these lyrics, is the idea of being beside someone through fear.   The concept of compass and lighthouse.  And haven't we, dear reader, marched together through this past year?  So many of you have been (and are and are becoming and will become) my lighthouse.  And if I'm lucky, I'll be a compass for someone, too.  (Disclaimer!  I can't use an actual  compass yet, but I will learn!).   The darkness is passing; the clearing is coming.  We are opening our circles.

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About the art:  if you've ever painted on aluminum panel, you already know.  It's lovely and fickle all at the same time.  So fun to build layers, but so easy to lose everything if you don't make sure the layers are very dry before taking the next step.  

Tools used in this piece include brush, wedge, chopstick, wooden pick,  paper towel, hands and fingers.

So here is an entire painting, start to finish, on aluminum panel.  And the beauty is, in the final strokes, you can carve through the paint, exposing the aluminum shine and adding an unexpected texture to a piece.  Ready?  Set?  ALUMINUM!