One Lux Designs

Long before the call of the wild, we were all just stardust. In essence, the geometric fox was inspired by a resident fox who trotted by my frosty window while living in the woods. Living in a low lit area of NH, the night sky was brilliant with star maps. The geometric fox is just one of the many star maps that were visible to me. Combinations of Earthly forms and unearthly patterns cultivate familiar, but unusual shapes. How can we give life to what we see and imagine? Make something.

“The Taro plant might be too hard to sculpt because of uneven weight,” said the professor. He was undoubtedly correct. I was determined to add the symbolism of the Taro plant in my Hawaiian culture project. As the clay kept sliding down the armature, I almost gave up. By balancing the weight just right, the Taro plant stood on its own. Knowing when to give more, or give up is a rather challenging and painful lesson to learn. In the Hawaiian culture, the symbolism of the Taro plant (kalo in Hawaiian) is “rooted” in ancestry, sustainability, and sustenance.

While we are grieving, the only thing we can do is honor our loved ones. By choosing art therapy to honor our loved ones, we are using creativity to process our loss. Reshaping our pain into new forms is essential for moving the crushing weight that swirls upon our chests. I chose to sculpt a Sugar Skull. Beneath the layers of clay, paint, and hand made paper flowers, lie foraged bits of symbolism that represent pieces of what made our loved ones especially unique.

Our professor is a surrealist, abstract, organic painter. We explored one of her techniques. I didn’t quite know what I was painting until half way through. With a lot of stretching and pushing, it finally bloomed into cosmic compost. We drift into tipsy territory while not knowing our destination. Choosing to drift into chaos is nonsensical, but when we carve a path through it, it becomes invaluable knowledge.

Hand sculpted Sugar Skull made from precious metal clay. How can we fill the deep, distorted cracks that have shattered our heavy hearts? The only answer is with more love and more creativity.