Mother Mary and the Miracle Worker

"Oh she's a pregnant Mary!"  Blair exclaimed when I got my work out of the kiln.

“Ha Ha Ha” was my answer.

While working out of Austin based studio, Fireseed, I had the pleasure of many theological discussions with Rick Van Dyke, the owner, and Blair Randle, a long time resident of the studio.

Blair asked,  "Oh. Did you not intend her to be pregnant?"

"No. It seems the magic of the kiln provided an immaculate conception."

"Ah, so an advantageous *slumping.  A rare feat."

Blair and I continued our discussion about pregnant Mary and her symbolism in art.  Blair shared that the pregnant Mary represents the state of being willing to accept a miracle.  That in order to receive a miracle we must be willing first, and communicate that willingness to God.  

I recently read a book that speaks to this idea of willingness. The book Unfuck Yourself by  Gary John Bishop is a fabulous listen on Audible.  Bishop’s Irish lilt challenges the reader to make magic happen in their own lives by deciding what they are willing and they are not willing to do.

If you are having a hard time understanding the significance of the pregnant Mary, I challenge you to consider if you would be willing to receive a miracle.

While chatting about this potential blog on the subject Blair added this sentiment, “The kicker for the biblical Mary, or for anyone answering your question, was that acceptance of the miracle would radically change her life and perhaps make her a social outcast or misfit, not knowing where if any support system she would have to sustain her. For Mary it was all for Truth, a God-given experience, not just some random or personal happening.”

So maybe you would be willing for a miracle, would you be willing for the radical change it would bring for your life?

*In ceramics, a slump is when the clay moves in an unintended way and the original form changes shape according to the laws of gravity. I was surprised and still wonder at how this piece could have slumped.  The cone shape in clay, like triangles in other structures, is a very strong shape.  Also, I had used this clay many times making just these types of figures without fail.  And yet this piece, in her perfect Mary blue, moved in such a way as to look great with a child.

Pregnant Mother Mary, 2019

Bonnie Brushwood

Turtles All the way down

What can be cuter than a baby turtle? A baby turtle on a turtle tower? 

We can see many similarities in the world of turtles and art.  For example, there are many varieties of turtles to consider.  Everything from a sea turtle to a creek turtle to the common pet store turtle variety.  How we think about turtles and art differ with each category.  

Likewise, some art is common, some art is rare, and some art is an endangered species.

I started exploring turtles as a theme to help lend support to one of my more unusual pitchers I created while in residency at the Dougherty Arts Center in Austin, Texas.  Rather than an ugly support, I thought of the expression “Turtles all the way down” as I first heard it from Stephen Hawking’s A Brief HIstory of Time. 

“Turtles all the way down” summary:  Roughly put, this phrase talks to a system that depends on the same kind of system to support it as it is supported by the same system ad infinitum.  As much as I love art and talking about art, I do recognize the tendency of the art world to have a “turtles all the way down”  mentality.  

My least favorite turtle support for art to stand on is the dark and brooding past or connection to some difficult topic that might be in season.   Even my teenage daughter rolls her eyes at the cliched grimdark character who has the gritty back story filled with tragedy.  It is truly as bad as the Mary Sue for whom all things turn out rosy.  

I prefer art to be a guidepost or a landmark that lets the weary traveler know where one can land for safe harbor. When art celebrates the world such as it is, it takes the toxic nature of pessimism and forced optimism out of the equation.  It allows us to note the good and bad around us so that we can engage in our world in an authentic manner.  Here, through thoughtful work, we can be reminded what it means to be whole.  

Because what happens when the bottom turtle starts to move?