The Medium is the Message
A Canadian philosopher by the name of Marshall McCluhan coined the phrase "the medium is the message.” He believed that the form of communication medium, shapes society much more than the actual content or meaning of the message that it carries. The medium IS the message, and I have come to see that the medium I work with is also a significant part of the message I carry. The inks are fluid and watery, vibrant, and reactive to each other each time new ink is added. I find myself constantly responding to what is happening rather than being the one in complete control. The inks create beautiful organic lines, layers of dye beneath one another, and leave small windows to what was, beneath. It is my job and joy, as the artist, to persevere and keep working until something beautiful emerges.These inks remind me a lot of life - the layers, the organic meandering, the ways we have the opportunity to embrace the unexpected. It is through perseverance, persistence and resilience in the ways that we respond to the situations that life gives us, that we carve out a life of beauty. And so, this is my medium and my message - persevere dear friend, until something beautiful emerges! Current Body of WorkI have been working on a series of birches, exploring them in a variety of sizes and compositions. I am loving the way the inks lend themselves so naturally to the organic markings of the bark, and in the organic shapes of the leaves.Often while painting trees, I see "trees walking as men” or as human beings. They take on the characteristics of personality, emotion, family, companionship, choirs, age, stature, and generally remind me of people in all kinds of ways. I find myself painting them as representatives of creation in praise of their creator. Birches have held my attention this year for their own amazing qualities as well as for the way the inks portray them so beautifully. They are quite a resilient species. Birches are some of the first plants to grow back in rocky, damaged, or burned areas after a disaster. Their striking white bark reflects winter sunlight and protects the tree from sudden temperature changes and even after they fall from the tree, the leaves of the birch enrich poor, acidic soils so other plants can grow. It seems to me that we need ‘birches’ in our present day culture. People who will exhibit a strength in perseverance, and resilience. The society that we have known for so long is changing quite quickly right now and even parts of what we once thought were safe and secure are wavering and even crumbling. The Birch in nature, provides the examples we need in our present day society - resilience in hard or damaged places, resistance to drastic fluctuations of malice and meanness, and the healing, nourishing touch everywhere we go. "I paint a kind of representation of what I hope to see in the world. Beauty and Resilience." Penny Gabor
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