Thursday, July 5, 2007

self-portrait challenge: fire

Sparkly thoughts (click for full view).

O.K., here it is, my very first self portrait challenge. This month's theme is the elements - earth, air, fire and water, and how we relate to and identify with them. When I was lighting sparklers on July 4th this year, I started thinking about how fire and light is such a big part of holidays and seasons. Jack o' lantern candles, Christmas tree lights, campfires, fireworks, the changing hue of the sun and moon throughout the year.

July 4th always makes me nostalgic. It reminds me of picnics at my great-grandma's house, with tons of food, music, laughter, games, and sparklers to cap off the evening. Everyone was alive and all of us kids were so young. They're happy memories, but sad in the way that I miss the people who are no longer with us, or have fallen away after the huge traumatic event that shaped my family and changed us forever, too long of a story to go into here. So I think that's why I have such a wistful expression on my face - I'm thinking of all those sparklers lit on my great-grandma's hill, my cousins and brothers and me whirling them around in the dark and leaving swirling trails behind us.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

we use to write our names with sparklers... happy moments. :-)