Shadows

Shadows, those playful patches of pitch which, somewhat ironically, happen best on the brightest of days, lend many images. From suggesting a sinister presence ("only the Shadow knows") to a slight presence ("he's a mere shadow of himself") they give me much to think and write about.

Shadows are on my mind lately because an acquaintance of mine, Cole Wolford (www.colewolford.com) who paints bright, striking watercolor pictures (currently) of life in Germany is having an exhibition entitled "Shadow Journeys". Many of his paintings show the wonderful impressions that shadows offer. I sat in the English Gardens ("the backyard") and wrote this. This blog is my gift to Cole.

As our dreams show what can happen when our consciousness is blocked so shadows show us the results of blocked light. I've watched children play with their shadows. I've seen grown people use their hands to create shadow pictures of dogs and birds on a wall or movie screen. Outside, our shadows can make us look tall and lean or squat and misshapen like fun house mirrors. And shadows are a great source for riddles. "What follows me everywhere yet never makes a sound?"

Man's rough, paved ground duplicates the straight edges of his evenly built structures precisely, leaving nothing, really, to notice while nature's soft, rolling earthy areas bend and twist those edges unpredictably until no two things are alike.

Shadows remind us that God is not going to set everything in the light. We must hunt. We must notice. We must figure.

While many look at the heavens - stars, planets - and feel small, I have always felt big because I'm a part of it. Shadows remind me that even something as powerful and deadly as the sun can be blocked with the simple gesture of a gentle hand.

Shadows give us balance, like yin and yang. Look at a tree against the sky. It is very shadow-like. The trunk is large, whole and solid, but it opens into branches and then limbs to compliment and play upon the background. When learning to draw trees, many art students are instructed to draw the empty space instead of the branches and that is how many find success.

Music without rests sets an exhausting tone that is overwhelming. A story told without a breath or dramatic pause loses its intensity and color. Silence stands between one note and the next, between one idea and another giving us a moment to appreciate what has passed and anticipate what is to come. Shadow stands between the sun and earth, between us and that which we face when we turn our backs to the light and face the dark patches.

Note to my readers: Some of you more observant readers (Howard) may have noticed that I posted a blog called "Fantasy and Reality". I then removed it from my blog. I did this because it was written so poorly. I am revising it and will repost it. Those of you who didn't see it, count yourself among the lucky ones. Those who did (Howard), I apologize.