In light of recent events of the world it is clear that we do not live in a perfect world. Being exposed to the daily hate that occurs in this world has proven to be an extremely hard reality to accept, especially as a nation that has been blessed with so much daily.
Reflecting on this I remember an art piece that I had made in one of my first art therapy courses here at Marywood, Introduction to Arts and Healing. We were assigned to make an art piece that promotes the message of peace. This piece could be made in any medium we chose and we were at free liberty to create our own interpretation of what peace means to us. Upon first thought I was not drawn to create something on inner peace but peace found with one another. I thought of hands touching and embracing one another. As for media I chose to work three dimensional, which is my personal preference.
For my piece, I formed clay into the shape of two hands that were holding onto one another. While the clay was still wet I chose to add quotes about peace engraved all around the hands and forearms, leaving no blank spaces. Even the fingers having words like “Peace” and “understanding” were not left blank. Two of my favorite quotes were:
- “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding”
-Albert Einstein - “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”
-Mahatma Gandhi
After molding and engraving the two joined hands I let the clay air dry. By leaving it in this bisqued stage of drying I did not glaze the piece. Instead, I painted the sculpture with acrylics to make the hands appear as if they are made of rock and stone. Through its appearance, I wanted the portrayal of peace to be interpreted as being solid and concrete as stone when supported on the foundation of working together. To add to the solid foundation I surrounded the hands in rocks when it is being presented to give the appearance of the hands being formed from the object it resembles while grounding the sculpture firmly. However, because I did not move past the bisque stage in firing the clay, the sculpture remains fragile to emphasize how easily peace can be broken or destroyed.
This piece holds a special place in my heart not only because it was one of my first art therapy assignments but it also holds true that peace can be strong when built with one another especially in reflection of recent world events.
What is your depiction of peace?
Featured image: Clasped Hands Forming Planet Earth World Peace Canvas Print by Wallarts at http://www.zazzle.com/clasped_hands_forming_planet_earth_world_peace_canvas_print-192034396001490712
Save
Save