Calypso

"In the days of myth and legend, the beautiful Calypso, daughter of Atlas, ruled the wine-dark seas, and all sailors everywhere both loved and feared her."

I find inspiration where there is profound contradiction and if you know anything of the legend of Calypso - whether it be within the context of Homer's The Odyssey or Pirates of the Caribbean: At The World's End - you may agree that I've found quite the muse. However, the true inspiration behind the latest of my mixed media creations is not so much the myth or the legend itself but rather a mere mortal who exudes such serenity and ferocity simultaneously that she is practically transcendental.

My creative process is very difficult to describe in a general sense - it's just about as unpredictable and inconsistent as I am myself. I go through phases of non-stop creation and phases of complete creative drought. An idea or concept usually sneaks up on me and then I follow through with it however, I have yet to maintain a steady stream of inspirational influences to constantly be creating. I do try. My art is far too impactful upon my soul and sanity for me to be able to separate myself from what I want to create. Therefore, I find myself in spaces where I cannot find words and I cannot find faces hidden behind blank canvases because to create takes an energy that I find myself too often depleted of.

I am thankful that I have a friend like Anri who inspires an energy within me to be able to create. That is why when I think of her, I think of a very unique wielding of power. She has an adventurous spirit that casts life as something which ought to be courageously explored and marveled at. I do not think that, even in my happiest and most joyous of moments, I have ever so gloriously embraced and wrestled with sheer mortal existence in the way that she has - in the way that she does. Her soul is the formation and crashing of a tidal wave, the tossing and toppling of the earth from a violent wind. Her soul is a waterfall feeding a gentle mountain stream, the rustling of leaves and long blonde hair in a cool breeze. She is a chaotic and calming beauty that I have yet to know fully and I know there is always more to be discovered about her.

I have learnt more about my own mind and my own abilities from her than I have from most if not all of the people in my life who were named my teachers and mentors and authorities. The pure wonder of this fact is the effortless. She is so incredibly real to the point where most things and people who stand alongside her (if they are lucky enough) seem blurred, animated, fabricated by comparison. She is a breathtaking truth amidst a world so heavily laden with lies. I am so thankful.

Dear Anri

May you always laugh loudly and louder still in the faces of those who give you disapproving stares and glares.
May you always hunger for adventure - there is always something "just around the river bend" for you.
May dark times that you face only give greater contrast and further illuminate the times of joy you will surely experience.
May those who anger you and the situations that frustrate you turn into an opportunity for you to educate and enlighten.
May you come to truly know and appreciate your greatness, your power and your beauty.

From the sloping sands to the endless sea, I love you.