Well, I had hoped we would welcome our first female president next year, but that possibility was again overshadowed by the same troubling figure. It astounds me that a convicted felon, rapist, narcissist, and openly racist man is compared to Jesus Christ and adored by devout Christians. I can only take pride in how I voted, standing firm with my beliefs and possibly being a voice if things go south. I will never accept the 47th president as anything but a bully and authoritarian. I am being kinder than I should be but now comes the challenging part: finding a way to coexist with those who chose to put him in office. The only glimmer of hope is knowing that there are many people on my side, both in high and low places. I must not lose sight of that.
**An Old Dream…**
I'm in the neighborhood of my childhood, surrounded by clean lawns and young trees, with perfectly spaced ranch and duplex houses, each featuring basketball hoops in the driveway. On this still and warm night, I step out of my doorway barefoot, wearing a shirt and pajama pants. The silence is so profound that it feels like I’m still indoors. My house sits at a curve where the street bends down a steep hill, a place where I used to race my Big Wheel until the plastic wheels wore thin and developed holes.I look up the street, and one of the homes several houses away has bright lights shining down on it. There are figures in the yard, busy with activity, but I can't discern what they're doing. The lights are too bright to see them clearly. I take another step toward them for a better look, but the moment my foot touches the ground, I feel all the figures turn and look at me. Suddenly, I'm hit with a flash of light to my chest, and I find myself falling into the earth. The force pushes into my chest, propelling me quickly into the ground. I see rocks and tree roots rushing past me as I am pushed deeper. The light at my chest flickers amidst the whirl of dirt and rocks surrounding me. I’m trying to grasp onto anything to stop myself from falling. Suddenly, I wake from this dream, gasping for air. I feel a weight on my chest but can't call out or catch my breath. The walls of my room glow with multicolored lights that travel up to the ceiling, reminiscent of the dirt swirling around me as I was thrust into the earth. My boyfriend lies next to me, sleeping peacefully, yet I can't move or call out.
In another moment, I awake again, sitting straight up in bed in a quiet, dark room. I'm breathing heavily, and my boyfriend is there, sleeping soundly beside me.**
I share this dream because, for one, it was vividly terrifying to experience, especially waking up and still feeling like I was there. I may never fully understand what it all means, but the lingering feeling I have is that I interrupted something those figures were doing—something I wasn’t supposed to witness. When they all looked at me, their heads emanated rays of light, obscuring their faces. The light that struck me came too hard and fast for me to process what was happening.
The memory of that dream now lives on in some of my art pieces, featuring figures with radiating eyes for heads. I can't say whether they were good or bad in my dream; they were certainly terrifying. However, in my art, they take on a different essence and feel more positive. It's fascinating how the interpretation of such vivid experiences can transform into something creative and, in a way, uplifting.
About the artwork**
I really wanted Reclamation to be a relief print but it was just too complex for me to make the cuts by hand. I drew one but I also made a woodcut using simple imagery. The woodcut didn’t turn out how I wanted it to so I’m not going to run any prints, but the digital drawing will become a print, a large one I might add.
Twisted limbs intertwine, binding, suffocating, and influencing a loving heart. It is manipulated, controlled, and ultimately ruined, ensnaring the innocent and tightening its grip. Yet, the radiance isn’t diminished, thriving in those who understand the most profound love of all. Free us and reclaim us.
Love and light always, Robyn
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCe7B3Wv60B/?igsh=amQ3N3RpcDdjbWR3
