Turn to the East and whisper your creative visions into the wind. Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Pay attention to your breathing as you continue to read this blog. Gaze through the clear space between you and the screen. Let us, for a moment, escape from the world by becoming more aware of it. Let’s consider for a short time – the air around us.
Air
Air does us good. We breathe it, feel it on our faces and look through it daily. Air is filled with nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases. Our atmosphere is complete with pressure and thickness; it scatters photons, absorbs radiation, refracts, circulates and is essential for survival. Who doesn’t love air? It’s often associated with communication, information, circulation, the color yellow and all that we cannot see: our souls, our spirits, our minds and hearts; making air an important part of our art.
For those of you who live in Sedona, like me, the art we are surrounded by often has greater meaning than simply beautiful creative works. Almost everywhere you turn you will find art in one form or another; most of which is created with “spirit” in mind. The majestic red rocks and the stunning oasis we call home habitually will invoke a sense of connectedness and spiritualism even in those who hold no traditional beliefs. This sense of oneness and spirit that we find here is breathed into the local art. As artists, our work generally is a product of our soul and inner spirit, which is an emulation of the elemental qualities of air we so frequently come to see in Sedona.
I’ve written in the past two weeks of fire and water. We can easily conjure up images in our minds on ways those two elements physically can be used in art. We see watercolor paints and melting bronze for instance – but what do you picture when you combine air with art? Spray paint? Images of airbrush artists on boardwalks two decades ago? Windmills, wind-chimes and wind-sculptures? (We see many of these in Sedona!) Of course, there are dozens of variations we can put together when trying to exude the physical element of air, but what of the deeper, more imaginative meaning? How do you share your art as air?
Sit softly in the open air. Close your eyes and feel the breeze on your skin. Absorb the sounds that travel on the invisible space before you. Feel in your heart the song of your soul and then imagine what that looks like on canvas or sculpted in clay. Photograph the wind; paint the sky both brilliant blue and black as space. Let your spirit flow into your art and let this be your way of communicating with the world, the elements that you are connected to. We are made of all the elements – embrace them, recognize them and share them with each other.
Remember: grow; learn; conserve; preserve; create; question; educate; change; and free your mind.
About: Kelli Klymenko is an artist, a faculty member and the Marketing & Events Coordinator at Sedona Arts Center: a gathering place where artists can learn, teach, and exhibit their works at the center’s School of the Arts and Fine Art Gallery in uptown Sedona.
