Page 26 - The Enso circle continuing Residents' Exhibition Catalog, Term Five, December 2022

About

the MARIAN MCKENZIE-CONE

Artist &

the This residency has been filled with the loss of loved ones

Work and a going inwards to reflect on life. Reading 5am in the
Pinewoods, Mary Oliver’s poem, I was captured by these
lines “Sitting under the blue trees “ I found myself just
wanting to represent this line of the poem as a spirit figure
and the need for it to be all blue.

I found myself feeling lost as in a forest and at the same
time secure as hugging trees makes one feel, but needing
to make a connection to these blue trees. Searching further I
discovered: “The color blue represents both the sky and the
sea and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition,
imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents
meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom,
confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence“

Part of the reason is that there isn’t really a true blue colour
or pigment in nature and both plants and animals have to
perform tricks of the light to appear blue. For plants, blue is
achieved by mixing naturally occurring pigments, very much
as an artist would mix colours.

Spirit dolls embody spirits that have gone before. and I
discovered for myself the peace and love that has come
from working on this doll and the color blue I love it as a
trick of light. Negative space is important space and light
and dark matter….. it all matters. Nurture nature and nature
nurtures you.

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