A Lot Of Brass

Day 119: When my mother passed away, I added her Bells of Sarna to my own small selection. As you can see, the designs of each are unique (at least I hope I didn't put any duplicates in the display). Each one has a specific purpose. My mom could have told you the meanings and/or ceremonies associated with each of these, but unfortunately never wrote them down. The collection is normally suspended by decorative cords at the sides of two different doorways where in passing, I will bump into them unless I make a specific point to avoid them. I love hearing them ring.

Giving Credit Where It's Due

Day 54: I cannot take full credit for this piece of surrealist art, only for rendering it in three dimensions. The concept originated with my mother, and was executed as a pen-and-ink sketch which she presented to my grandmother with a book of original poetry on Mother's Day 1945. I believe she may have drawn her inspiration from a greater mind, that of Salvador Dali. In any event, the idea has gone through so many permutations that I feel no shame in claiming this as "mine," since it is said that in art, there are no new ideas, only new ways to represent the same old things.

Surrealist art is meant to jolt the mind by presenting things out of context, nonsequiturs to the natural state of their existence. It is often laced with hidden references and meanings, but not always. Sometimes, as here, it is simply a mental meandering down a convoluted path through hyperreality, art for Art's sake, without agenda.