Pearl: Transformations
Jericho Ditch, Dismal Swamp, March Escape
A Sketchbook of Acrylic Painted Images
(These notes were written while painting the Jericho Ditch images. They are exploratory notes that helped me understand the work.) It doesn't matter how we find ourselves in a swamp, whether we are here by accident or design. It doesn't matter if it is real or imagined; self-induced or imposed. The first problem is recognizing we are there; feeling the goo rise around us; and being aware of the underbrush that tears and slaps us. Before we can free ourselves from the swamp, we must be aware of the situation. Walking with blinders on, denying the pain and discomfort is a danger our being.
Feeling the pain; experiencing the discomfort; and seeing the tangles and quagmire is the first step to reclaiming our lives. Pain and other strong emotional responses, are calls to action. Something is wrong, focus! It jerks us from the morass of the past and the delusions of the future, placing us squarely in the present. Opening ourselves to the present, paying attention, noticing things, being aware, looking at the details and the big picture are ways to focus. Rejoice in the vegetation, feel the cleansing water; transformation begins with deep awareness and observation.

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