This morning my reading of the Sunday paper involved my being almost IN our Christmas tree. We cut it down in the National Forest last week, set it up, and it fills our usual reading corner.

I turned on the tree’s lights as I read.

From the corner of my eye I caught just a flash, a glimmer of something small.

And I remembered.

When I was a kid, we lived in a two-story home. Coming down the steps during the Christmas season, the lights from the tree would be reflected on the sloped ceiling above the stairs. I loved the patterns and the colors.

Seeing that glimmer this morning triggered… what? Where? I am fascinated by the mechanics of memory. Is there a specific cell or synapse somewhere in my brain that contains that image of the lights on the sloped ceiling? Did the glimmer this morning run down a nerve memory pathway and ignite that cell? Will it be reconfigured in future dreams, changed into story and rearranged memory to give it meaning?

Something about holiday seasons makes our memory more poignant. We are processing images of the events as recorded in family photo albums with dreams and expectations of what we longed for alongside events as they actually were, often not at all the same.

And the simplest of images can get it all rolling.

I believe that’s the power of visual storytelling. And it’s what each artist brings to her own artwork. When I create, it will come from a combination of intentional, purposeful choices combined with unconscious impulses directing color and content and emotional tone. It’s the sum of those things that makes each artist’s work unique. It’s why a one-of-a-kind original work is not the same as a mass-produced item.

For me, memory is the raw materials of artmaking.

From my reading-chair-in-a-tree this day, I wish to develop and find meaning in this process. And it’s my wish for all makers-of-art. And my hope that the work created speaks to the lives of enjoyers-of-art.

So much possibility, from so small a thing.

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

BLOG POSTS: If you would enjoy receiving blog posts by e-mail,  please subscribe here:  I post blogs once a week. BLOGS-BY-EMAIL

NEWSLETTER: If you enjoy more detailed behind-the-scenes stories, as well as FIRST LOOKS at new works and members-only discounts, I hope you’ll become a Studio Insider.  You’ll hear from me about once a month.  NEWSLETTER