This is a series which reflects on the struggles which all of us face in our lives. The struggle may be great or small, profound or trivial, secret or public; but the reality is that none of us live without it. In a sense, our lives would be small, boring and largely meaningless if we were never called upon to rise up even when the odds are against us!
The particular visual theme that I have begun to build on is that of the figure interacting with, or rising out of the surface it rests on. I am certainly not the first to use this particular effect, but I think it is still useful
Freedom is Never Easy
This is the first time I used this form. I kind of stumbled on the idea, as I was doing a head, but wanted to have more than just the shoulders of a typical bust. As I was adding a chest and arms, I suddenly had the feeling that the piece was struggling with the surface he was bound to, trying to get free. Leaning on one arm to keep from falling back, while trying to lift himself with the other, he became the voice of all of our struggles with what holds us down.
Sometimes all you need is a Hand from a friend
Of course, not everyone is in a lonely struggle against their own demons. Sometimes we find that we are not alone, that the struggle is always a little simpler when it is with someone else. None of us are ever too weak that we can’t reach out to help someone else.
“Oh, REALLY?”
Then, there are the times when all we can do is, take a step back and laugh. Our tendency is to take ourselves so seriously. If we can take a breath, smile, and find the humor in our situation, it can sometimes take out the sting and give us a fresh perspective.