That would be waving and that would be crying,
Crying and shouting and meaning farewell,
Farewell in the eyes and farewell at the centre,
Just to stand still without moving a hand.from “Waving Adieu, Adieu, Adieu,” by Wallace Stevens
What is the sense of farewell in collage?
Is it the series of goodbyes you say to friends and loved ones as they pass out of this existence into the next? Is it the glued-together memories of your lifetime? Is it the litany of all the things you can no longer do?
The Sense of Farewell (2012). Digital collage created & copyright © by Eric Edelman. All rights reserved.
Or is the sense of farewell something more delicate, more subtle, and yet more pervasive than these? Is it the sense of standing still in the eternal moment, while all you have known recedes from you and accumulates to make up what is called the past? A collage of all you no longer own. The sense of letting go of all you thought belonged to you, finding that none of it did, except your awareness of the one moment, the point of stillness in which you stand.
(All artwork, descriptions, & other text [except for quotations] created & copyright © by Eric Edelman. All rights reserved.)
Fabulous
Thanks, Steve!
It’s hard saying goodbye to things that we feel belong to us. Allowing yourself to become attached to something that doesn’t truly belong to you, can certainly cause heartbreak
Almost like losing a part of yourself.
Love the pink hat
Happy WW!
Paula
lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com
So true. The Buddhists believe that attachments of any kind are the ultimate sources of avoidable human misery. (I don’t know exactly why the pink hat’s there, but I like it too.) Thanks for your comment, Paula!
I love message of the art…
Thanks, Wayne–have a great WW!
Interesting analysis of farewell. Every moment that goes by is the past even though it was just a second ago.
Exactly. And this sense of the present constantly receding into the past has fascinated me for a long time. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
This one is very sad for me. It is always hard to say goodbye, even if it’s only for a short while. I too like the pink hat in this one.
True, Theresa, it is a hard thing to say goodbye; yet from a certain point of view, life is a series of goodbyes. And part of living is learning to make peace with the necessity of bidding farewell to the things and people we love. Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment.
Such a great hat that guy is wearing.
Thanks, Alissa! Glad you like it.
This is so powerful. I can relate to the message so much having lost my father at an early age, 37 years ago today, my twin sister in 2008 and my brother last December. Thanks for hosting.
I can understand, Judy. My sympathy for your losses; I was widowed, so I can understand something of what you feel. Thanks very much for your kind and thoughtful comment.
Cool! Always something different here, and I think it’s great.
Thanks so much, Danielle! I really appreciate your kind comment.
Interesting and very sad image and words.
Thanks very much, Lori. Yes, sadness is definitely the prevailing mood of this post.
This made me cry. In the process of saying farewell to my father-in-law. I will miss him dearly. But he has such a peace about leaving this earth and entering heaven. And he’s spending his time thanking friends for special things they’ve done over the years. We will miss him. But he leaves behind a wonderful legacy.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Mary. Having been widowed years ago, I believe I can understand some of your feelings, and am sad for your loss.
Thank you Eric for sharing your work on Mandarin Orange Monday:)
Thank you, Lori, for sharing your work and your techniques, which are both fascinating.
Love your latest collage, Eric – it’s very provocative!
Happy WW… you should consider sharing your art with us at Inspire Me Monday!
Thank you so much! That sounds like an interesting possibility.
thanks as always for hosting and sharing insights and art
Thanks very much, Daryl–Happy WW!
You are quite talented! Very colorful and eye catching!
Thanks very much, Allison! Glad you like it.
Eric, I love the poem! Great collage! You have always the best ideas!
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland
Verena
Herzliche Grüße aus Amerika, Verena! Vielen Dank für Ihre freundlichen Worte. Ich hoffe, Sie haben eine gute wortlose Mittwoch.
Perhaps he just doesn’t like the hat!
Linked up, Happy WW!
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
It’s an idea! Thanks for your comment.
Hi Eric, your collages make me happy. This is my first time here. Do people actually leave comments? No one has stopped by to see me and my farewell to summer…
Welcome, Layla, and thanks for your nice comment!
Yes indeed, people do leave comments. And it looks like you’ve now got some (including mine). You might consider adding linky software to your site to allow people to leave their links quickly and easily. There are several varieties of linky software; the one we use is at Blenza.com, and costs us $20/year. Many people like to visit sites that use linky software. It might increase the traffic to your site. Good luck!
When Swimming Above The Waterfall, you can never stop moving forward for anything… because, to do so, is to invite your own personal disaster! Life is, also, just like that… and yet, Many Of Us Still Never Figure That Out….
It isn’t good for a man, to dwell very long – upon his own past!
A wise precept in life says that one always moves forward: either under one’s own power, or by being dragged forward in time by outside forces. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Jeshurun!