Lost and Found
Two Pieces, Lost is 16″ x 16.5″, Found is 17.5″ x 10.5″, Wood, Glass and Mirrors
When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by lost and founds. Maybe it’s silly, but I remember the first time I saw one, I was captivated, not so much by all the little bits and what might belong to whom, but the fact that someone had cared enough to gather up all these little seemingly worthless treasures with barely a hope that anyone might return to collect them. Zen practice for me is a little like this, returning to a place where I care about all the little lost and found bits.
I wanted a mirror by my front door but something that more reflected my newly found artistic self. As you stand in front of the first piece, Lost, all you can make out are just a nose, or maybe an eye, not a complete face by any stretch. Move just a little to the right in front of Found and suddenly the face and right arm become visible. (Since I am right-handed, it seemed to make sense – this is where my creativity leaves my body.) It is a living thing and I place little lost and found things there in the space and on the hooks. This practice is like having a bell to remind me to be awake.
This piece, part sculpture, part installation art, reminds me every day – what is lost can be found, what is found can be lost. Even so, I am the one who decides, I am the one who cares.
