The Artist’s Eye-Hand-Heart

A few weeks ago we took Printha to Vermont, a Birthday in Brattleboro excursion. The premier event was a Domino toppling extravaganza at the local museum (BMAC). When Printha was younger she and Bruce used to build domino constructions just to knock them over, and later, would watch professional topplings online. We thought it would be fun for her (and us) to see one live. And it was! The domino artists – all engineers or former engineering students – created a marvelous set. It’s hard for me to explain the peculiar satisfaction of seeing and hearing it all come down, ritualistically. I guess the design, progression, and destruction all align with our idiosyncratic fascinations with pattern and sequence and rhythm. The artist’s eye …

… The artist’s hand
The domino event didn’t take place until five-thirty in the evening so to fill the day we planned a picnic and a visit to the Etsey Organ Museum (which we never got to before it closed), and another to the Grafton Nature Museum’s Fairy House Festival. What I expected to be a short look-see turned into a trip to another world, in which we were entranced and reluctant to leave. The fairy houses are built of found natural materials, most of them local to the museum’s grounds. We saw over fifty creations, some made by student groups, but most by adults, who spend up to a year designing and building them. The Fairy houses, and camp, medical center, spa, farm, garden, and more were scattered throughout the woods, along a winding path. At every stop each of us found something to marvel at – an ingenious use of material, or a novel concept, or an inventive construction technology. We spent a long time at each site, examining, discovering and appreciating. Really, it consumed us, and we barely noticed how hungry we were, (or how badly we needed the facilities, lol) until we were through. The Fairy Queen and her helpers welcomed us and bade us farewell, all resplendent in their dress and demeanor. Everything at the festival spoke to the artists we three are, and inspired us; Bruce and I are determined to contribute our own fairy construction for next year’s event. I will be sure to report, if we manage it.

Printha had a wonderful, long day (she slept almost the whole ride home), as did we. Spending time with her in the unique world we share is one of the great blessings of our life. I am already thinking about next year’s birthday and those beyond: Birthday in Bath, Birthday in Boquerón, Birthday in Barcelona –

Here is the thank you card she made … The Artist’s Heart.