I've had the PanAm swizzler sticks for quite some time. They perplexed me. Why? Well, I generally need a minimum of four of everything in order to design a mandala. I had five red ones, five yellow ones; five black ones; but only three blue ones. Sure ... I could have used four of the red, yellow, and black ones ... but then what to do with the extras and the blue ones? Sure ... I could have used three of each color in rotation ... but then what to do with the extras? I really wanted to use ALL OF THEM.
I have all sorts of memories of PanAm airplanes ... and TWA ... and other airlines that don't exist anymore. My first trans-Atlantic flight was in a propeller plane in 1966. (My parents had a summer studies program to Salzburg, Austria ... started in 1964 and lasting into the 1980s). I remember flights that stopped in Bangor, Maine or Shannon, Ireland in order to refuel because that was the only way to get to and from Europe. I remember the first time I saw a 747 and the first time I flew inside one. I remember the fleets of PanAm jets and thought there would never be a time when that logo didn't dominate every airport. To find these swizzler sticks (something that probably only came with drinks served in 1st Class) was special. It was like a sip from my childhood. How could I not use ALL OF THEM!
Finally, I forced myself just to play with them ... rearranging them around the outdoor thermometer until I liked what I saw. I think the thermometer helped. It's high contrast is just perfect to trick the mind into seeing the arrangement that doesn't have the same number of blue swizzler sticks. After settling on the design, it didn't take long to find other items to stitch down. I'm really pleased by the way this piece turned out. Like Mandala CXCII, it isn't in a floater frame. Instead, I put it in a linen liner and then a frame that has a decidedly "mid-century modern" feel ... something that goes with my memories of PanAm.
I'm always amazed how you *seem* to always have the right amount of various objects. Do you ever find the perfect item for a design, only to find you are 1-2 short of what's needed to complete it?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are well settled in the new home/studio and back to creating mandalas. They are fascinating how they look in the blog photos vs when I expand them to see what was used. So many items I remember from childhood (hair perm curlers, toys) to things I toss out on regular basis (pop can tabs, bottle caps)...
Susan, Spectacular mandala! I love the colors & your story of your process with the swizzle sticks. I too find it hard to believe that all those wonderful airlines you mentioned are gone. Linda Greiss
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