Stay at Home

"In my view, art is not what we see, but a way to focus our vision to make others see what we feel." 

Aristotle

I completed this sculpture in time to enter it in the Lancaster Museum of Art's open show at the end of May. And while it didn't win any awards, I did get some nice feedback on it. A mixed media piece, it is crafted of wood, wire, paper, calligraphy, ceramic, resin, found objects, and acrylic paint. 

Earlier this year, I came across a poem by Longfellow which brings to mind the mixed feelings of being torn between the safety of the known and the exploration of new horizons. This sculpture is my attempt to illustrate overcoming the struggle, breaking free of the fear and soaring into the unknown.

Song

Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;

Home-keeping hearts are happiest,

For those that wander they know not where

Are full of trouble and full of care;

To stay at home is best.

Weary and homesick and distressed,

They wander east, they wander west,

And are baffled and beaten and blown about

By the winds of the wilderness of doubt;

To stay at home is best.

Then stay at home, my heart, and rest;

The bird is safest in its nest;

O'er all that flutter their wings and fly

A hawk is hovering in the sky;

To stay at home is best.  Longfellow