May 9, 2013

testing the water

6 x 8, oil on canvas

"I was sitting on the seashore, half listening to a friend arguing about something which merely bored me. Unconsciously to myself, I looked at a film of sand I had picked up on my hand, when I suddenly saw the exquisite beauty of every little grain of it; instead of being dull, I saw that each particle was made up on a perfect geometrical pattern, with sharp angles, from each of which a brilliant shaft of light was reflected, while each tiny crystal shone like a rainbow...the rays crossed and recrossed, making exquisite patterns of such beauty that they left me breathless...Then suddenly, my consciousness was lighted up from within and I saw in a vivid way how the whole universe was made up of particles of material which, no matter how dull and lifeless they might seem, were nevertheless filled with this intense and vital beauty. For a second or two the whole world appeared as a blaze of glory. When it died down, it left me with something I have never forgotten and which constantly reminds me of the beauty locked up in every minute speck of material around us."
Aldous Huxley

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Your beautiful painting already made me thing about the beauty and preciousness of each small part of the universe, and how everything is equally important and plays its part in the grandeur of the whole. Your painting says what Huxley's text says, but you did it with no words. Lovely work, Faye!