Tears and Tangles - Collage Piece
 

In one sense this is obviously a non-Avatar appearing fan art - but those whom were there with me on the passage through Dark Night of My Soul, know that it has everything to do with the effect Avatar had on me.

This is the first major piece of Artwork I have done in a long time. I was greatly inspired after acquiring a beautiful craftwork book this week that melded spirit, soul, collage and crafting into one harmonious intertwining of being. This piece is significant not only because it reflects the angst of my soul that I was going through, but also because it the 'motivator' piece .. first by being inspired and then by forcing myself to have to get through this piece .. including having to experience a momentary eclipse in my emotions, to take me back down to the dark and deep haunting traces still lingering within, it actually help me move forward again.

(regrettably the photo does not really do the piece justice because it lacks the dimensionality of collage)


http://a.imageshack.us/img836/4691/tearsandtanglesb.jpg




Symbolism:

Black Web: feeling tangled up caught as though a bug in a spider's web - powerless hopeless and going to die
(fibers used to make web) look like eyelashes ..

Songs: reflect the fears and hopes in my tears - Her Diamonds - my own powerlessness and hopelessness and wanting to give up and indeed how much I cried and cried and cried. The powerlessness of all others that were there for me trying to help me as best they could. Tears in Heaven .. coming to terms with death, dying, grieving loses past/present/future and the yearning for heaven, also not feeling worthy of heaven.

Baha'i Quote: (upper left corner) my returning to my faith roots and also awakening consciousness of the 'suffering' in the world, movement from 'feeling sorry for my self to deeper stirrings of compassion, empathy, and longing to be of service to others.

nb: the quote in the upper left hand that you can't entirely read - mentions it behooveth to shed Tears of Blood for that what what befallen those whom hath suffered at the hands of the oppressors of the earth, hence the image of tears on the left hand side of the collage.

Sufi Quote: (bottom right corner) Sufism refers to the dark night of the soul as the death before death, or dying before dying which is exactly what it felt like during the passage that I had died and my soul was being heavily weighed, which I see as a gift and blessing a great kindness from the Divine to have freed me from so many burdens and stripped away much of my ego, to be able to move forward with the next half of my life with a more loving spirit. Shams of Tabriz was Rumi's mentor and from his teachings talks about how 'tears' can purify our hearts and help us become more spiritual.

Rose image: Lyrics from a song .. "I'll bring you hope when hope is hard to find and I'll bring you a rose in the winter time." also Baha'i quote "Plant naught the the Rose of Love in the Garden of Thy Heart"

Time imagery: Mortality

Torn/Shredded Paper: the tearing and stripping away the whom I thought I was, the opening of light into the black void of my heart, soul, and life. (also fibers used remind me of white clouds in a storm and silver linings.

Beaded coil: smoke coil (note where it starts and where it ends) and the reflection of the cloudiness or murkiness of my mind.

Silvery squares: Her tears falling like diamonds on the floor (from the song)

Chinese or Japanese Writing: Oriental meets Occidental - the Buddhist teaching and practices of Mindfulness, Being in the Now, Meditation, Breathing, Yoga, Reiki .. all helped me get through.

Butteryfly: Transformation - Blue wings only bit of Hope and Color in this dark place. Also Butterfly looks tangled in the web, but isn't really if it could open its eyes and see is free to fly.

Beautiful... I can see this obviously has a lot of meaning for you :)

Thank you! :) It does!

Interesting enough was that most of the meaning didn't actually become apparent to me till I had completed the collage. I just did it mostly following my intuitive guidance, then this morning when it was all done and I was meditating on the piece is when it spoke to me about the symbolism. I was surprised at just how reflective it was of my process and how the sub-conscious emerges and speaks from the deepest levels even if I wasn't aware of all its messages while lost in creating the project, I had just flowed with it!