The Incredible Slowness of Patience

As I worked to complete the final drawings and haiku for Codex Gastropoda: A Visual Meditation, I learned about Tim Pearce, Ph.D, the Assistant Curator of Molluscs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, here in Pittsburgh. When I contacted this walking encyclopedia of snail facts and lore, I was pleasantly surprised at his accessibility and eagerness to talk about the intricacies and nature of his favorite subjects. When I told him of my book in progress, we made arrangements to meet at his department for a private tour of the museum’s vast holdings of snails, shells, and other obscure, mysterious forms of life beneath the seas.

Here is a photo of the Snail Man himself wearing his favorite hat!

And what a collection! Giant conch shells once used as trumpets by ancient island tribes to gather their people for special events or war:

many varieties of cone shells that had contained carnivorous snails who project a tiny dart from their bodies that are loaded with a compound containing 50+ different toxic chemicals! Their shells are very attractive but don’t get too close,  Mr. Pearce warned.

We think of snails as carrying their own houses, but this chitons’ shell reminded me of a knight’s armor or shield!

Their names are a mouthful to pronounce but these Xenophoridae or carrier shells are worth a closer look for their ability to disguise themselves in the deep seas against predators by secreting a sticky substance which they use to glue many abandoned shells to themselves as camouflage! Below is the Xenophoridae spread from Codex Gastropoda which I’ve envisioned as a gathering place for a summit of snails:

Finally, I was introduced to Tony (i), a snail whose name Tim spells with both an ‘i’ and a ‘y’ because this tiny creature is an hermaphrodite; it hosts both male and female gender characteristics. If you can be patient for the three minutes it takes for this little video clip, you can see tiny Tony (i) emerging from his/her shell! Just click on this link to view the video:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7spialg7hn0fj8b/TimPearceSnail-Trimmed.mov?dl=0

I have a small edition of Codex Gastropoda: A Visual Meditation (Imaginarius Editions, 2017) available for preview and purchase with credit card or Paypal for $30.00 at my Magic Eye Gallery: http://bit.ly/2vzsSTM or at my Etsy shop: etsy.com/shop/Imaginarius

You may find that the images and haiku that comprise Codex Gastropoda: A Visual Meditation are a fine antidote to turbulent times like ours for they encourage us to patiently look, listen and THINK beyond the obvious…

 

Project Update #1: An Illumination Of Blessings

Today marks the 17 days remaining (until midnight of July 6, 2013) to bring An Illumination Of Blessings to life via Kickstarter. I’ve received much warm encouragement thus far and although the project is only 42% funded to date, I am moving ahead with my work in anticipation of eventual success. Accordingly, I’ve just completed a new blessing from the 36 that will comprise the book.

Shown above is the ‘Netilas Yadai’im’, the blessing recited when washing your hands.
My image, however is more than a literal accompaniment to the text of the blessing. In the borders you can see an alchemical icon for the element of water suspended above and below between two ‘mems’ the Hebrew letters whose shape represents the waves of water and which begin and end the word ‘mayim’ for water. This is to emphasize the importance of water not just as a medium for cleanliness, but as a metaphor of the wisdom of Torah within the process of Creation and in our daily lives.

During the days remaining in this campaign, please take a moment to forward the links to this page to anyone you know who would like to be part of this unique effort. Just copy and paste this link into your emails: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330347473/an-illumination-of-blessings With your help, I look forward to completing An Illumination Of Blessings and sharing the fruit of my labor with you. Until then, I welcome your questions and comments!

News From Imaginarius: A New Kickstarter Project!

Dear Readers:

For the past three + years, I’ve been enjoying your visits and comments to my posts here at Imaginarius. And today I have some exciting news for you!

I’m pleased to announce the launch @Kickstarter of my new book project!

My book is called An Illumination Of Blessings and is now in progress as a unique visualization of 36 universal blessings. A chapter of commentary will be included to provide perspective on the evolution of my images. In the spirit of my recent book, Between Heaven & Earth: An Illuminated Torah Commentary which interprets the Five Books of Moses in a new light, An Illumination Of Blessings will be like no other book of blessings you’ve ever seen.

You can see why at this link to my Kickstarter page where a little video will tell you about my creative and funding goals for this project. You can also select from my gifts to you in exchange for your help in supporting my efforts:

http://kck.st/17F0To0

I’ll be posting updates to the progress of this project at Kickstarter, at Facebook, and here at Imaginarius. Your questions and comments are invited and welcome!

I look forward to hearing from you and working together to make An Illumination Of Blessings my artistic legacy for your family and friends for generations to come.

With Warm Wishes for Peace And Blessings,
Ilene Winn-Lederer/Imaginarius

Tea With William…

As an artist, writer and avid reader, I’ve often thought that Réne Descartes’ well-known aphorism: “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries.” deserves a postscript. Besides substituting ‘minds’ for ‘men’, the phrase should be extended to include art and perhaps music because our minds are insatiable for all forms of creative expression; hungry to engage in conversation with all creators through their work.

While not all creators are articulate; nevertheless it’s up to us to discover what visual or musical language they are speaking in their attempts to reach us. That said, sometimes, just encountering beauty in music or art needs no translation. This pretty much encapsulates my admiration for the English Arts & Crafts period designer William Morris, whose work has been a great inspiration to my own. Such that I imagined us sharing high tea at Broadway Tower, his summer retreat in the Cotswolds…