ELBOW CHRONICLES
2017-2018
Click on the image for information and accompanying poem.
In November 2017, my painting arm was shattered in a bike accident. It took two surgeries and months of physical therapy to get my arm back in working order. As I was recovering, the guide my mother sent to me right after she died came to me again. I was thinking about how to persevere, what endurance is. He spoke my name: “Rebecca Child”. I told him I was crying. He said he knew; he could see that. He said it’s OK child, it's truly OK. You are OK. Then he said: Find that golden card that your mother left you. Where is it? Where did you put it, child? That card holds spiritual radiance, the serene joy of well-being and benevolence. It offers release. A wound opens and butterflies fly out, released in all directions. I know the pain. Do I know the butterflies? I started painting at the end of my bed with my left hand. Here are six of the 26 pieces I painted during my recovery. Welcome to the Elbow Chronicles, my way through.
