Serendipity
“The occurrence and development of events by chance, in a happy or beneficial way”
“ The fact of finding interesting and valuable things by chance.”
My finding of the objects that have inspired my current series of works, can only be described as serendipity. The objects in question, two 19th century hat manikins, were in a wonderful store in Calgary, called Architectural Uniquities. Uniquities, is a treasure trove for unusual items, and the manikins were no exception. Stained, torn in places, they were the right objects, for the right person. I was not that person. I had flown in for the weekend to visit friends. Returning with two hat manikins, would have been both unnecessary, and, impractical.
Fast forward two years. I was in a lull between series. I had finished the works for A Pause to Reflect, and was taking time before launching into a new series. I was also readingThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Self identity was certainly at the forefront of my thinking. Suddenly, the mannikins sprang to mind. A quick check of Uniquities website showed them to still be available. This time I bought them, and had them mailed out to Vancouver.
These two manikins are the inspiration for my current work, Just a Moment. Consisting of 15 drawings, the series explores the idea of masks, personas, and the need I sometimes feel, and I suspect others feel also, to don; a way hiding our true thoughts and feelings. Each image in the series, shows a head, in a varying stage of profile.
I remembered after I bought the manikins, that one of my grandmothers used to be a milliner in England, in the 19th century. The thought that she may have used items like these in creating her own work, brought the items closer to home.
So many chance events. Such unusual, yet inspirational objects. Serendipity.
