Saturday, January 10, 2009

Why Art?

Tonight I had a realization.  I am waiting to be assigned a court date in which LT will become my legal family.  Now judging from families before me, I'm thinking this is still several months away.  And while it's right around the corner, it seems like a long time.  Especially when you know your little one has been sick and you just want to take care of her.  I balance the wait with the idea of logistics that dances in and out of my mind.  What are my to do lists and how fast can I check it all away.  But instead of reviewing what I can control, I find myself searching for Ethiopian art.  And I just realized tonight why.

In the midst of this process there's a lot of eduction & emotion that come from friends, classes, books, blogs and more books.  I find myself feeling like I'm back in college as I study such a broad scope of topics in hope to better my parenting abilities.  And while I originally started researching art from a cultural standpoint, what I am so clearly understanding is that it has provided  me  a doorway into the country's soul.

I seem to learn more about the spirit of the people so much better than any book could share with me.  The personal expression relayed in these pieces makes me feel like my education finally has a pulse and that makes me feel closer to LT and her ancestors.

In today's artist spotlight, I'm showcasing Ethiopian artist Fikru Gebre Mariam



There is an emotional intensity to these paintings that speaks of struggle yet strength. They feel undeniably African in both color hue a well as the images feel somewhat inspired by traditional Ethiopian art. There is a sadness, beauty and mystery of the hope that lies within the people. There is also an intention to reveal pride - personal, community and cultural.

These painting offer a complexity in their abstract nature that speaks to me in a soul to soul way - during a time where I am wanting to feel closer to LT, I go to Ethiopian art to connect me to the source. Thank you to all the artists and stay tuned as I was so lucky to be able to purchase one of my favorite paintings (that I've featured earlier) as a symbol of my union with LT.  I will reveal it soon...

1 comment:

Sparkz said...

You should get a court date pretty soon. We were shocked by how early we got ours. They were really appologetic that it was in March and not Feb. and that the courts were really backlogged. We were pretty excited that it is March and not later. Hopefully you'll get one in March too! Our son is sick also but I think most of the kids over there are since they are in such close quarters.