Into the Flame
Winter is the time to gather around the hearthfires, to tell tales late into the night, to share collected memories of all that has gone before. This simple piece is my reflection on Hestia and the sacred flame of the hearth. The leaf that lies almost in the center was the first part of this piece to come to me. I pulled it, dying, from the limb of a Staghorn Sumac that lives just down the road. It is a smokable leaf, which makes it even more appropriate to use in a piece that concerns itself with fire. The shape of the bone beneath it implies that the hearth-flame is not limited to a single place, but can also be transported from place to place through the use of a torch or similar instrument. The background of the piece has been stained a deep Bombay mahagony and the frame is based with gold and distressed with streaks of transparent red oxide. The frame was hand-cut by the artist, which explains any imperfections you may find. The piece measures 5.25 inches wide and 8.75 inches high. The back has been titled, signed and dated by the artist and includes the vignette, Into the Flame. Give of yourself to me, my single flame expanding and contracting, searing you who would step back from piety, conveying you who burn up to the stars. So many seek to drench me in the waters of remorse, while others seek to know me, though unknowable I am. My sparks wither as they fall to the ground, yet I must not go out. You who would make offering to me, do so now, before the air grows close and still, and my dim light wanes softly into embers. Do not let me be extinguished, for in me all impurity is burned away. Private Collection
