21”h x 15”w x 4”d

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"But the beauty is in the walking, we are betrayed by destinations." - Gwyn Thomas

This assemblage is a reminder to stay connected to the process of life, rather than getting attached to specific outcomes. I love the idea that each step we take touches us into a pool of immense beauty - the place where life happens. I included the quail eggs wedged into each shoe form to express the vulnerability that is also part of each moment. There is a touching fragility to our walking through time - as each step is complete, our idealized dreams of perfection must also fall away, and the broken fragments fall to the ground behind us, awaiting forgiveness and compassion.

Given the message of the quote, it is perfect that this box started out as an entirely different project - the sky blue color behind the circles where the feet are touching down is all that remains of the earlier piece that I just couldn't make work. I covered all the other traces of that earlier effort with maps and other papers, but left those slivers of blue as a reminder that, indeed, there are no mis-steps - what doesn't work just becomes another layer adding patina and depth to the beauty of where we are.

Materials: Found wooden box; vintage wooden shoe forms; quail eggshells; assorted art papers, tissue paper, assorted collage materials and maps; shells and sequins; fabric leaves; acrylic paint.