ethereal and other ideas

“. . . of or relating to the regions beyond the earth”

“. . . suggesting the heavens or heaven”

“. . . lacking material substance”

I love it when a piece I am making has an ethereal quality because I like to think about art as a way to bring the divine to earth. I set out a few weeks ago to create a series of pieces that had that as the inspiration behind them. 

The more I tried to create that feeling, the more it disappeared. Like a wisp of smoke, the feeling would fade into the atmosphere and the piece was left lacking substance and feeling trite.

On my daily walk, I saw the sun backlighting a plum tree so that it’s purplish leaves became luminescent. A neighbor’s puppy, with its playful exuberance, made me laugh. The sun hit the water and sparkled. I thought, “The divine is all around us, in the substance of the things we love.” If I try to make a piece too ethereal, it loses that substance. It is the marriage of the divine and earth that makes my heart sing. 

Sometimes an idea grabs hold of spontaneity and playfulness in its determination. Light, playful, intuitive is a better course for me. Sing a little; dance a little; and something better might come along. A piece just falls together that has the qualities I love.