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Nate Richardson, artist

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Mandala: Estuary

January 17, 2021 Nathan Richardson

There is incredible tension between powerful forces here (ocean and river, water and land, etc) and many seemingly unlikely marriages (salt and freshwater, life and death, hunter and hunted etc) where energy and life is transferred/redistributed. Estuaries and marshes like this are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world (rivaling rainforests). They are a thing of great importance and beauty.

"...mandalas in every culture serve, more or less, the same purpose of centering an individual or community on a given narrative in order to encourage introspection and, ultimately, an awareness of one’s place and purpose in the world; this awareness then allows for peace of mind."

I didn't realize I was I was making a mandala when I started this image. The inspiration was an image Robin Wall Kimmerer painted about the ancient salmon run at Cascade Head, Oregon in her book "Braiding Sweetgrass". It's a beautiful depiction of species inter-dependence and respect as well as a mesmerizing transfer and distribution of life energy. There is incredible tension between powerful forces here (ocean and river, water and land, etc) and many seemingly unlikely marriages (salt and freshwater, life and death, hunter and hunted etc) where energy and life is transferred/redistributed. Estuaries and marshes like this are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world (rivaling rainforests). They are a thing of great importance and beauty.

Of course there is the narrative of our/human darker angels that lie within our pioneering culture. In the natural world pioneers serve a great purpose but their strategies (unlimited growth, sprawl, high energy consumption, taking land from others and moving on) are not sustainable. So as you can imagine we've greatly altered or destroyed many of these places and are suffering the consequences with degraded fisheries and other species decline.

Kimmerer says "when resources run short, cooperation and strategies that favor stability are favored by evolution."

But in times of anxiety and stress I find it helpful to focus my thoughts on beauty, gratitude and the eternal so when the immediate moment is too much I have an (hopefully healthy) escape. Having positive images in my mind helps make visiting these places mentally more accessible, so I try to visit beautiful places and witness beautiful acts and things often (and sometimes attempt to recreate them in artworks) to remind me that despite the pain, suffering, ugliness, sorrow and strife there is also on-going good and beauty in this world and it should be nurtured and supported.

-------------

Cedar Plank Salmon

Down the shore a campfire flickers

Against the darkest night.

The blaze loves the darkness.

With the ancient blood and bone compass

A blind people feel their way back

Into the wilds.

Damp woods and cedar plank salmon

Remind us of the Honorable Harvest:

take only what is given,

use it well,

be grateful for the gift

and reciprocate.

In Poetry, Stories and Essays
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