Letter to Christine in Paris

I weave on the loom of time. I weave the word "context" from Latin. Con (with or together), texere (to weave). A change in context transforms experience. Context is an essential and active process. The weaving directs our thoughts, emotions and actions.

“We are chained to the earth to pay for the freedom of our eyes,” a child whispers.

The rain ceased crashing for a moment here in Donegal and we communicated with you in Paris, your distant city of delight, your city of dreams. Our relationship is a flash of lightning along horizen’s thin thread of illumination. You ask how I am doing, how I am being.

My Japanese language studies allow a deeper understanding of images in the ‘floating world’ or UKIYO-E. Ando Hiroshige lived from 1797-1858. His birth name was Tokutaro and he was the son of a fire marshal and an orphan. He became an artist.

In 1832 he traveled the Eastern Sea Route or Tokaido road from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. There were fifty-three resting places or ‘stations’ along the way and he designed and made woodblock prints of the places along the route. His creations influenced many famous European and American artists in the 19th century.

You will be pleased to know the process of translations are going well. ‘Meisho’ is a convention of poetic associations with seasons.

Basho, a well known haiku poet said, “Tabi wa jinsei desu,” which means “Travel is human life — life is a journey.”

Once, in another incarnation exploring the island of Hokkaido, my morning started with a walk to Towita park to enjoy fall foliage open spaces old fir trees and paths along water, small lakes and many stone statues.

Workers protected smaller trees against approaching winter by building a conical shaped pyramid of straw reinforced with bamboo strips and secured with ropes. Many sculptures in the park.

Beached blue and yelllow summer canoes are piled and tied up for winter. Ducks and mallards swim and rest on the water. Women gather leaves along wide paths. At a Shinto temple on a small island in the park an old brown structure imposes its shape and sentinel protection. Tori gate, cement bridge and balanced stone lions in the small courtyard. Crows cackle fall morning songs.

At a temple is a square stone basin full of water with four round wooden ladles resting on a crossbar. A single cup of water dipped and poured back into the basin creates a wonderful visual ripple effect. A single drop on the surface sends out a thousand colors as the golden and brown pebble bottom explodes in front of your eyes creating a new dimension. The drop itself moves out from the center, creating smooth colors evolving quickly then all is quiet with emptiness and stillness. A visitor drops many single elements because the moving image is wonderful and clear. It is a simple playful childlike nature. A manifestation of universal mind, essence.

A traveler inspects paper prayers and 1000 crane offerings on a board near stone steps. Two women arrive at the water basin, drink, spit water out and walk up steps, clap their hands three times, bow in prayer, clap three times, throw coins through the wooden slots into the temple, clap twice and slowly walk down stone steps stopping to throw remaining water on one of the stone lions before laughing and leaving across the stone bridge.

The art museum is open. Friendly volunteer women serve coffee, sweets and green tea. The curator comes out and speaks enough English to offer directions for the textile museum some distance away and leads to his current exhibition of oil paintings.

The majority of paintings are from 1935-1970. Early works show agricultural significance; hard manual labor in fields - women and children with shovels; selling vegetables, isolated in their hard eyed abandon, conditioned responses to a beautiful yet cruel landscape.

Some W.W.II material in pencil. Landscapes play an important role, their majestic background and backdrop sets the scene for the artist to capture the essence of military and rural people in their struggle to survive. It is basic and integral to their necessity. No images of gaiety and laughter.

The Yukara Ori folk craft museum - one of the main reasons for coming to the city is wonderful! The building resembles a medieval fortress high on a hill overlooking the city, valley and nestled close to the mountains full of fall colors.

The museum specializes in hand loom woolen fabrics of Hokkaido. Their brochure says, “When Hokkaido is mentioned, people think of long, severe winters and heavy snowfalls, but when the snow season ends, Hokkaido turns into a colorful world of greenery and flowers. An outstanding feature of YUKARA ORI is that they are based on such themes as ‘Ice Floes,’ ‘Lilacs,’ ‘Sweet Briar,’ ‘Lake Mashu’ and ‘Swan,’ themes drawn from the natural beauty and climate of Hokkaido. All of the work at YUKARA ORI is done by hand from the initial spinning and dyeing of the yarns into hundreds of colors, right up to the final weaving on the hand loom. It may take years to design and complete a new piece.”

Rooms display craftsmanship; blouses, scarfs, shirts, jackets, wall hangings, place mats, coasters, skirts, bags, purses, bookmarks, coin purses, and small bean bag toys. Mock-up rooms are decorated with the complete color coordination. Fine wood and the simplicity style is ethereal and utilitarian. A room contains the carding and weaving process in photos and actual displays.

A woman at a large hand loom gently works threads creating a growing design. People watch in fascination and vanish as she continues, alone. She carefully twists the threads into a balanced weight and line before gently pulling and pressing them into the pattern. She is following her meditation.

To Be Continued...