“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”
Anne Spollen, The Shape of Water
I’ve been excited to come back and share the letter “W” with you because it’s opened a whole new window (excuse the pun) of opportunity and inspiration for me. I thought about the word WINDOW and I immediately thought of Stuart Shafran’s Film Noir – Woman in the Window. If you haven’t seen it already, check it out.
I thought about all of the different things you might see through a window and oodles of ideas raced through my head. You can see a small glimpse into another person’s life when you see into their window (like the two dancers above), and you can see a tiny glimpse of the world when you look out of a window. It gives you a limited perspective, as all that you can see is that little portion that is visible to the eye… and that’s one of the things I love about the idea for imagery. Each window provides a different view, and its own little story, kind of like a movie set.
In life, however, it is not advantageous to see others (or the world) in this way. These limited perspectives give us microscopic views, and we totally miss what’s important… which is the big picture. Why is this couple dancing, for example? Are they celebrating? In love? Taking dancing lessons? Maybe they are having a sordid affair? Oh my! It’s hard to say from this angle, because all we can see is that two people are dancing in front of a window. Our perspective is too limited.
For the sake of all things creative, on the other hand, these limited perspectives allow us to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks. Our minds can run freely with ideas. How cool is that?!
So… to make a long story short, the next series that I’m going to work on will be called WINDOWS, and it will be full of various images, poetry, and some very short stories. More to follow on that.
“A short story is what you see when you look out of the window.”
Mavis Gallant
About the Image
I recycled the dancers that I had made for one of my stained glass illustrator images, and added a background of wallpaper and a chair rail, some vertical blinds (or prison bars, depending on how you look at it), and a delicate sheer curtain that is threatening to blow wild in the wind. I brought up the curtain because that is actually my favorite part. It may seem silly or insignificant to anyone else, but when you are creating images in illustrator, it is OH SO rewarding to imagine—and figure out how to accomplish—new elements for your piece. I learned something new and learning is always gratifying. And I love the idea of the added sheerness, limiting our view (or perspective) even further.
Anyway, that’s about all for now. I hope you enjoyed my take on windows. I’ll see you around soon for the letters X, Y and Z…the final entry to my series Life: From A to Z.
Peace & Love!
And remember…
“Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”
George Bernard Shaw
A Sprinkle of Faith 