Yes Deer

I have had this fascination with deer, even before that deer tried to ram me and run me off the road recently. The week before, I had been dreaming of them, thinking about certain Neko Case lyrics that described hitting a deer with a car....well, it actually worked the opposite way in the end. I almost got killed by my 'hart', you see. It's interestingly, currently, metaphorical for me.

Even before that however, I had had a life-long interest in arrows and archery...Cupid, Eros, St. Sebastian, the constellation Orion, the Ecstasy of St. Theresa (and the list goes on and on). Anything with a bow and arrow, and I probably would have enjoyed it. Now, that's not to say that I enjoy it as a weapon, but something pierces a heart and I sit up and take notice. It's all a part of my experience though; the arrows, the deer, bow hunting season, broken hearts. If you really think the metaphor through, it's an incredibly romantic way to die. It's also incredibly bloody, and as I imagine it, quite horrifying and painful.

It's not an entirely new group of thoughts that I've had either. These have been circling, and patiently waiting for their moment. Years, they have been waiting.

So I decided after the close encounter with the deer (which I heavily predicted before, and then had several freakish coincidences about after) that I needed to get down to the grit of the matter, as the universe was clearly shouting at me. I spoke to a few friends, made a few more connections in my head, and decided my next major series would be about deer...and hearts.

After I realized the awesome dual meaning that both words created, I decided on the title for the series, "Deer Hart (Dear Heart)" which I am pretty darn jazzed about. So anyway, I'm still figuring it all out for right now but I think I should start work on it this week. The series will have transfer techniques, painting, found objects, and words. I feel it IN me already that this series is important. I shall do my best with the material life has recently presented me.