An ode to Chocolate Chip... the beauty and simplicity that Black & White can bring to our lives and the stark reminders we receive when life is not Black & White.
Chocolate Chip, 2010.
Black & White represent simplicity. When things appear Black & White it may look truthful, like photographs by Ansel Adams; there may be deception like the drawings of M.C. Escher. Black & White create light and dark contrasts. The powerful representations of form, pattern, and movement are most visible in Black & White. Black & White lines create negative and positive space, make gestures, marks, language and music. They are Yin and Yang. They represent polarity, “polarity pairs make a balance” (Stein, p.59).
Stormy Sky, New Mexico, 2009.
Ithaca Falls, New York, 2009.
We see black and white together in many places: piano keys, words on a page, musical notes, chocolate chip ice cream, tiles, dominos, penguins, cows, skunks, woodpeckers, zebras, ermine moths (Arctiidae), Common Murre eggs (Uria aalge), bogolonfini or mud cloth, the moon and stars in the night sky. Black & White are opposites, always in contrast, positive and negative.
(public domain)
BLACK is the absence of color. Water is the element for Black. Black pigment is derived from carbon black from burning oils, black iron oxide or charcoal. Black represents the root center chakra which can move us forward, dealing with issues such as fear, karma and death (Stein, p.22).
Condensation on Glass, 2010.
descriptive words for black: jet black, obsidian, black agate, onyx, jet, slate, tar, ebony, ink, charcoal, coal, midnight, black hole, dark, lamp black, and humus, black coffee, black tea, Black Forest, black beans, blackjack, black mold, blacken, blackout, black sheep.
black inspirations: glass, water, black ice, black bears, black pearls, ebony piano keys, shadows, dark chocolate, black widow, black bird, black walnut, pupils, black cumin, wild rice, black pepper, licorice, black panther, black & white photography, black velvet, black strap molasses, raven, crow.
Tiles in Italian Restaurant,
Hot Springs, Arkansas, 2009.
black represents: darkness, mystery, oppression, decay, protection, security, power, elegance, sophisticated, classical style, strength, magical, somberness, expensive, womb, death, and reincarnation.
“All colours will agree in the dark.” Sir Francis Bacon
Glacier, Seward, Alaska, 2009.
WHITE is the full spectrum of light. Metal is the element for White. White pigment is derived from calcium carbonate or chalk, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, sea shells, white lead (banned from use), lithopone (combination of zinc sulphide and barium sulphate), zinc white, gypsum, and talcum powder. Potassium aluminum sulfate, cream of tartar and Orvus Paste are all white substances used in natural dyeing processes.
Dye Herbs, Cornell Botanical Gardens, 2009.
18/6 Rayon Prepared for Dyeing, 2008.
descriptive words for white: white wash, white out, cream, ivory, milk, snow, porcelain, egg, pearl, bleach, light, vanilla ice cream, albino, gesso, oyster shells, lightness, white tea, white russian, White House, white noise, white pine, white lie, white night, white hole (time reversed black hole), tooth, bone.
white inspirations: lilies, snowflakes, whipping cream (organic), eggs, marble, paper, marshmallows, linen, flax, pearls, diamonds (white light), lace, wool, cotton, white elephant, polar bears, white buffalo, white rhinoceros, wedding dresses, butter cream frosting, lightening, garlic, daylight, sunlight, white rice, clouds, clover flowers, unbleached wheat flour, salt, sugar, blank canvas, coconut flakes, alabaster, cheese, cannellini beans, starlight.
white represents: purity, clean, stark, mellow, quiet, leadership, creativity, peace, clear thinking, bright ideas, innocence, silence, brightness, clarity.
All colours come together in the light.
Unidentified Moth or Butterfly, 2009.
Chocolate Chip, 2010.
The Brief Story of Chocolate Chip
In the summer of 2008 I moved from the outskirts of town into town proper. My french angora rabbit, Mocha, moved with me (and the dogs and the chickens). When I met my soon to be husband he immediately knew that I did not come alone; my animals and I are a package deal. A bargain? Not for me to say. But, all of us were welcomed with open arms and wings.
Only two weeks after the move a rabbit appeared having been chased by the neighbor’s dogs. Clearly the rabbit was not a wild one-it was starkly black and white.
We quickly chased the dogs away, watched over the terrified rabbit while it rested and eventually I was able to capture it. It was a young bunny, probably an “easter bunny” someone “set free” to live in the wilds of town proper. We made a new home for the stray bunny and named him Chocolate Chip.
Our friends bring their daughter to visit the rabbits and the chickens. Now there are bedtime stories about Chocolate Chip. Mocha is no longer with us and it was time to find Chocolate Chip a healthy, happy home. With patience, situations find their way. Recently, Chocolate Chip was invited to move to the big city; he lives with the Grandmother of our little friend that adores him.
Chocolate Chip close-up, 2010.
Bibliography
*see Oklahoma Tinctoria Library Thing for detailed information
All Women are Healers, Stein
Colors from the Earth, Thomas
Composition, Dow
The Art of Color, Itten
Complete Book of Paint and Decorative Techniques, McCloud
Bogolonfini Mud Cloth, Hilu and Hersey
song ‘What Light’ by Wilco
Thank you Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Research Training Program for the use of the Public Domain image of Common Murre eggs:
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