L.A. McLeod, California Artist & Writer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About
  • Land & Seascapes
  • People
  • Flora
  • Fauna
  • Vehicles & Vessels
  • Structures

A Surprising Space for Beauty

12/26/2021

16 Comments

 
Picture
My mother, an artist, spoke eloquently the language of beauty.  She communicated it through her paintings and sculptures, yes, but throughout her entire realm, as well:  her home, her lovely appearance, even her handwriting.  We, her children, grew up embraced by beauty, nurtured by it, encouraged and applauded in our personal pursuit of creative arts: visual, musical, literary, dramatic, or decorative.  We were all fluent in the parlance of art as our family culture’s native tongue. 
  
Except for my dad.  A physicist, inventor, and business owner, he spoke in numbers.  Spreadsheets. Mathematics.  Art to him was the neat row of framed patents that lined his office wall.  His creativity flowed when he pulled the ubiquitous ballpoint pen from his breast pocket and grabbed a nearby napkin or receipt to sketch the genesis of his next product design. Preoccupied and peripheral at home, he of the left brain watched as his right-brained wife and progeny blossomed around him in a riotous garden of creative expression.  

The children grew up, moved out, had families of their own.  Over the many years, his mental acuity began to soften and fade.  Her artistic hands became stilled by arthritis.  Then one day, her gentle voice of beauty was heard no more. 

Artists use the term “negative space” to describe the area in a painting, photo, or sculpture where the subject is not. The background surrounds the subject and helps to define its shape.  Think of Michelangelo, chipping away the marble’s negative space to release the masterpiece trapped within. 

The passing of someone you love creates a negative space where they once were but are no longer. The absence may be palpable—as real and dynamic a thing as their presence ever was—and the negative shape can have an unforeseen, positive power to transform what remains. 

Without my mother and without his former mental prowess, my father began to put forth tiny tendrils of artistic expression into the void. He painted a picture of flowers, primitive and child-like, which I treasure. He led his pretty physical therapist in an impromptu walker-dance before giving her braid a playful tug with a laugh.  At a Dixieland concert, my dad couldn’t contain his kinetic delight in the upbeat tunes but played invisible drums and “conducted” with his gnarled hands until the last note sounded.  Beauty flourished in this surprising and sacred negative space.  So when the Creator’s whispered words of love fell gently onto the tilled, fertile soil of his heart, he understood and nodded simply, "Yes."      
16 Comments
Amy Lively link
12/26/2021 05:48:47 pm

Only God could fill the painfully negative space with beauty. Thank you for capturing this sacred concept.

Reply
Leslie
12/26/2021 08:48:06 pm

Yes, you're so right, Amy. Thank you.

Reply
Bec
12/26/2021 07:32:13 pm

No voice, only silent, beautiful snow now to comfort.
Yes…Dad said, “Yes.”

Reply
Leslie McLeod
12/26/2021 08:48:43 pm

He did. ❤

Reply
Nancy Stern
12/27/2021 06:01:57 am

And then it all makes sense when so many years ago my Mom passed leaving my Pa to travel the road of life. He found comfort in doing things for my Grandma, his mother-in-law, taking her to concerts, shows and simple things like shopping. When his time came, he let my sister know with a simple squeeze of her hand, he was ready. Thank you for putting into the words I could not.

Reply
Leslie
12/27/2021 07:59:08 am

Thank you for sharing that, Nancy. Who would think that loss would have such capacity for growth of a different kind?

Reply
Tim Gallo
12/27/2021 10:36:23 am

Contrast is one of the art concepts I love best, particularly in photography. But incongruous contrast challenges our minds. How wonderful your dad went to that place with courage and joy. What a great story, Leslie. Thank you.

Reply
Leslie
12/27/2021 02:35:01 pm

Absolutely, Tim. Our minds were blown by the incongruity. Was he transformed or ultimately just revealed?

Reply
Takeo
12/28/2021 07:28:13 am

I will share this with my sister in law and nephew, as we’re missing my brother and learning to fill the “negative space,” but we’re making progress. We’ll get there in time. God bless you and thanks for sharing your gift of story.

Reply
Leslie
12/28/2021 08:38:16 am

You and your family have been on my heart, Takeo. Praying that you'll be touched by those tiny brush strokes of beauty in the middle of your deep loss.

Reply
Peggy link
12/29/2021 07:07:19 pm

Your understanding of grief and your ability to express it continues to help me heal. Thank you for sharing this touching story and inviting us into this tender space.

Reply
Leslie
12/29/2021 09:14:57 pm

Thank you for your encouraging words, Peggy.

Reply
Cecilia Moreno
2/8/2022 07:40:14 pm

This was beautiful

Reply
Leslie McLeod
2/9/2022 05:40:40 am

thank you Cecelia!

Reply
Suz
4/11/2022 09:22:49 am

The concept of 'negative space' was creatively used and very powerful.

The photo and last paragraph blew me away. Overwhelmed by memories and emotion, I had to wipe tears from my eyes.

Reply
Leslie
4/11/2022 01:08:09 pm

What an incredible time that was. Lots of tears—of sadness, healing, and wonder.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Leslie McLeod
    Artist & Writer

    Archives

    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Aging Parents
    Devotions
    News
    Poetry

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.