Drippings

I do believe this to be my absolute, most favoritist page-spread in zbook.
Can you blame me, how mush more awesome can an image collaboration painting collage get?
There are so many elements here - let's take a look - expand the vision:

"good witch" click to view

So, a), for me, palettely speaking, I want to dive right in and eat it up - how delicious - the collaboration between the colors of blue and the highlights of purple and pinks and the overlay of green, yellow, and gold with white and blackish and graphite - it's pleasing and multi-faceted in that frame.

Glinda, the Good Witch

And then, b), is the dialogue between the 2 pages. For me, the left is an expression of the right, like a bubble busted, to see inside. The macro and the micro are in a constant lemniscate with each other between these two sides for my thoughts and eyes. Crossing into the straight forms of the right, the cirles and triangles, is where my gaze then bounces to the left because it is here that these conversing angels dwell in my internal story. From the rays of Michael, or other archangel being, and perhaps, overseen by them, sings the dance of the 'Hot Skillet Lickers' quartet.And, guiding the direction of their song, where it casts upon, is Glinda, in the bottom corner, waving her crystal wand with grace and gesture. Side note, she is who I always wanted to be as a young child when I wore pink frill or carried a wand - I think traveling by bubble is the key.
It is as if, the pulsation, which is the prayer gesture of the unity btw. the green and pink angels is the juice being squeezed through the sky of the right page toward the earth below.

C)ollaborating with this conversation are the other words on the page - on the left, there is faint silver in the rays, "Space Changes" - which again, rocks me into the shapes of the right, as they carve out the space of the sky in a lifted veil kind of way. And then, the piece-d-resistance (someone please correct me)... in relating the story line; appropriated from the tragic and great Jeff Buckley - in teal pen, on whiteout : "screaming down from heaven" - you should all know how to sing that lyric, if you don't already, please learn!

"screaming down from heaven"
click for larger view

d) The element of story depicted in this spread, which has been a key to understanding for both Cec and I, I believe, in the recognizing of how to translate our perceptions, and our expressions, into the language of daily existence: is the tiny gesture at the bottom right corner - the city - life. Through this beautifully drawn in sketch of life where we know it - revealed in careful looking within the mountains of the earth; through this, we are able to gift our understanding of much greater powers - of the mysteries of the universe, and how we are grappling with them and understanding them and making our way through and into them. Thank heavens for the gift of this spread for that revelation!

nipple dripping
click for larger view

and finally for now, e), the dripping nipple, has a world of story within itself. That image alone, could launch a thousand ships.

Adieu and farewell, please stay and feast from the HOT SKILLET for as long as you like, be sure to pay the "good witch" as you exit. Be well and blessings, -J.

beautiful

'This is your Life' is so beautiful to me.  There is an incredible soul sense depicted in this image.  The floating quality of the angel beings is palpable.  I perceive the thick water mist as holding the weight of the horizontal breathers - In my eyes, it looks as though the dark kiss of the blue faced angel aims to pull the green faced under his spell; and the blue of the mist is the last thing holding the green faced from sinking into the oblivion.

click for larger view

And then, there is the distinct body presence in between blue and green - a body whose face is not seen; unless you look more fractally beyond the others faces, to see an eye, fingers, eyelashes, ears and facely shapes.

To give props, my memory (which previously has been proven flawed,) tells me I sliced the angel face pieces from a KCRW fundraising flyer - what happened to the slices life once it was rubberized into Zbook is all us though!

In this spread, there is an interior presence - it is a shadow of the heart space I feel.  I believe we crystallize that experience with EKG lines in the left middle top, stickered with the mini red heart, then leading to the blood like dripping at top left.  Then there is the right page side with multiple references to cellular walls and bodies.  And look magnifying glass closely at the tiny girl figure in the top right corner - she is cut off just below the solar plexus, allowing her image focus to be the heart space - where the activity of the rest of the spread may be said to be taking place.

There is more to support this theory: reflection, life, glue glob, on and on...
~J.~

identity

Ceci and Jennifer 1996

So you meet a friend that blows your mind and busts wide open your heart because they draw from the same pool of inspiration that you do, thrive from the same stimulus, and dream of such similar possibilities of life and art and adventure.  Feels amazing, feels like home, feels like you were always together even during all those years alone.   Jennifer and I rode O so high on this very experience in the first year of our meeting. We were an unstoppable team, ready for anything, together nothing could hinder us!  We were sure that through our childhood years, growing up as only kids with mostly only ourselves to entertain us and play with us, that we somehow- perhaps metaphysically- must have been together growing up. We thought, maybe we were eachother's imaginary friends, and that at last we had materialized in eachother's lives at the age of 21! 

Our bond was so seamless, and it was exhilarating, until another experience reared its unexpected head, one I can only describe as an identity crisis.  The bond is so seamless that at some point you start to ask, where do you end and I begin, are my thoughts my own, who am I as an individual?  About a year into our manifesting friendship (1996-1997, UCSB) I remember starting to feel conflicting emotions between my great admiration for Jennifer and a surprising rising up of resentment.  I began to feel that I was losing my own definition, I began to fear this divine connection.  The truth was, as I can see it clearly now, that this was something I was going through all on my own in this critical time and age of my life.  Not only was I shifting into adult from child, I had also just been through a traumatic accident that had me piecing myself back together from scratch (which I will share further about later).  While the identity challenges presented by the twin activating powers of Jennifer and Cec were for real,  I now know it was also a reflection of my own inner turmoil of self identification during that time. 

A great partnership is made from two whole individuals.  Jennifer and I have grown to not fear our kinship, knowing that it does not extract anything from our individual selves, it only adds to and enriches our lives and what we create.  We celebrate eachother's choices, we acknowledge eachother's special qualities and offerings.  And we revere all the ways we continue to correlate and connect and correspond, because we Are truly a reflection for each other, but not of what we are not -which comes from fear... we help reflect to one another all that we Are - which comes out of trust. 

click for larger view

A couple months later I was in Guadalajara (1997), recovering from my accident and renewing myself on all levels, including my art.  I came across this image in the newspaper (on the left) of the mirrored figure on stairwell.  I cut it out and pasted it in ZBOOK, feeling Jennifer, feeling our great opportunity to transcend the challenges of sharing such immaculate reflection and with trust allowing it to be a great source in our lives for creating great work, together and individually.  Later other dualistic images emerged on this page, as well as a reflective "mirrored" piece of sticker on the right above the drawing of Fiona (which appears mostly blue in this photo-scan).   Jennifer dropped in the "Calling All Angels" and I love it because for me it reminds us that we are all indeed unique individuals, or angels if you will, And we are ALL called forth to synergize our individual talents to create further growing unique creative experiences.  It is an honor to head this call with you Hemphill.

∞ ceci

6

week six >> "identity"

Calling All Angels to our vision.  We stand in action before you with dreams united to share our story of collaboration and friendship caught on fire.  We dedicate our work to inspiring others to create and share and unlock imaginations offerings.  Week to week, we pledge to bring forth our reflections and wisdoms as we express zbooks magic and velocity. 

click for larger view

Into and out of the ether, we crystallize our common goal to bring light and life to the threads which bind us in book and image making together.  Through our musings of our weekly spread choices, we ignite vast organizing forces to conspire in our destiny.  Great wealth and opportunity, we call on you also to feed our bonfire of artistry and story telling.

With our individuality fueling our co-creations, we sing forth to the universe to mirror our pictures.

In prayer and thanksgiving, we focus our hearts and minds and wills to move ever forward toward the great unknown with courage and faith and knowledge that we are not alone. 

Shout it out loved ones - we invite you to join in our building of zbooks storyline - please know, we do not ever profess to hold monopoly on interpretation or understanding of the work we engage in.  Feel free to share your thoughts in comments.  gracias

-J.