Light & Shadow

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“All the beauty of life is made up of light & shadow.”

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The patina of life is made up of sunlight and its resulting shadows. Soft light entering a window on an early morning creates varying shades of grey, deepening the shading that brings an object into perspective. With too much light life feels flat, so I prefer an unconventional approach: less light, and more depth.

Dense woodlands with shadows under the branches that hide a rabbit’s nest. The damp light after a rain shower that deepens all the colors of the garden-the many shades of green. The leaves’ shadows sprinkled on a wooden bench where I sit and take in their beauty. The shadows cast by my book pile on my desk, or my favorite pens on the side table. I like the character of shading: glimpsed through a doorway, candlelight illuminating part of a room, the darkness at the bottom or side of a cylindrical object that articulates its shape so beautifully.

There’s always a sense of mystery, a wondering I may say. What is beyond that sliver of shadow? The contrast between light & dark is a liminal space, an entryway into the unknown. We experience it most profoundly at dawn and dusk…the blue hour. What will come to me during this day? How will I understand what I experience today? In the minutes leading up to the sunrise and those following the sunset are filled with a countenance not available during the light-filled hours of the day. These are my favorites. She is here during these moments of wonder and questioning, ready to guide me to my own answers.

In my home I create opportunities for light & shadow to play their roles in my awakening to the beauty of the world. I painted the wall of my bookcase black so that the objects placed on the shelves stand out in relief. I use semi-gloss and glossy paint on my walls so that the light reflects and creates deep shadows throughout my rooms. I don’t mind a bit of clutter on my desk or kitchen counters as the shadows are intriguing to my aesthetic sense. A little clutter creates character! When I am arranging a shelf or table top, I create depth and interest by deliberately placing objects in the stream of light from a window or a lamp so that the shadow is part of the arrangement.

The cool big shade of a katsura tree by a patio, the slivers of shadow beneath each woven cane of a Nantucket Lightship basket showing off the gentle roundness of the handwork that made it, the shadow of window molding showing off its delicate construction, the dings and marks on an antique piece of furniture that conveys its age and usefulness through the years. I honor the light and dark of the natural world and the mystery of what lies beyond my sight. Held in Her embrace I remember to remember.