Talismanic Solace and Blessing During Rites of Passage and Diminished Human Contact
By Nancy Good
“Living History” … this is what many people, from all walks of life, are already calling this unusual time in our world-wide, collective human experience. Pandemic, riots, protests, human rights abuses, violent political and religious divides, climate and environmental upheaval, economic collapse for those most at risk, while the rich and powerful simply get more rich and more powerful … the world's entire population is affected by at least one, but most often almost all of them collectively. How do we respond? How do we thrive? How do we rise above? How do we sustain hope? What do we grasp onto for solace and even blessing?
Liminal Planes. All original artwork/Nancy Good.
Liminal Planes II.
In light of these extraordinary events, there are patterns unfolding that indicate our civilization is at a critical juncture in a collective rite of passage where we must move into new awareness in order to thrive (or even survive) as a species. This important juncture is most often experienced as personal epiphanies followed by growth, but close observation points to this being a collective experience by humanity as a whole. Individually, we see some handling this experience with grace and a willingness to learn through it, while others fight tooth and nail to oppose the evolution that is already progressing with the force of a nuclear reaction. We are at a state of critical mass, so to speak, with regards to our collective awareness and memory of what was, what is, and what may be. Add to this the pandemic imperatives that we limit person-to-person contact for our own health and well- being, it is no wonder we are floundering and confused as we seek to reconcile our individual desire for normalcy against the collective awareness of what we may have to give up to in order for humanity to flourish again. This state of awareness can be frightening. It can also be transformative. Paintings entitled Liminal Planes and Liminal Planes II express my observations with regard to a collective rite of passage. Varied layers, even 3D assemblage, seem at first to create a cacophony of visual confusion. However, upon deeper study, divergent planes eventually find unity through elements meant to express the common needs we have as human beings, such as companionship, shelter, purpose, safety, food, protection, love.
The Critical Mass of Collective Memory.
Those who have studied physics understand that critical mass is needed to sustain nuclear reaction. I cannot help but apply this concept to the nuclear reaction of necessary changes we are seeing today. We each will remember many things, but we won't all remember them the same way. This does not mean another's memory is invalid. The strength (and critical mass) that comes from weaving all these memories into a collective cord is what is needed for the sake of humanity. I can imagine that other artists feel much the same, as if we're recording time, with an almost desperate necessity, weaving strands of non-linear memories with threads of current events and new awareness. And, it is our collective memory of past and present that will sustain the forward momentum needed to propel us through these challenging times. One recent painting created in response to this is entitled The Critical Mass of Collective Memory. It visually expresses the density of joining together not only our various individual memories over time and space, but also weaving them with the vastly different memories others may have with regard to what we think are the same experiences. This weaving, through paint and other mark-making, attempts to honor the memories of another, even if I may not have those same memories. By maintaining contact with the memories of another, even if we cannot be in physical contact, I believe we can sustain change.
During quarantine, I have also observed how much of my mixed ethnic DNA reveals itself in what I create. Scientifically tracing my heritage not only to Italian, French, English, Irish, and German ancestry, has also revealed ancient ties to Native American, Scandinavian, African, and Middle Eastern peoples. While this scientific evidence supports my belief that, throughout the Earth, we are all biologically connected, far more deeply than we often realize, it is through more intuitive experiences that I seek to interpret those connections.
So, how do we express those connections and the associated need for human contact during this time of great division, isolation, of distrust, and even blame? Having long used art as a language to express what I cannot speak with words, I have observed within myself a near uncontrollable urgency to interpret what is happening each day through the creative process. My artistic expression most often chooses to convey the universal, multi-layered experiences of humanity. However, during these many months of “dis-ease,” my oeuvre is even more focused on tackling themes of restraint, fears and vulnerability born of the unknown, loss of income and business, racial protests compelled by a need to change centuries of systemic oppression, gender divides, and the necessity of swift adaptation to maintain emotional and mental health. While many of my go-to thematic elements – visible layers weaving in and out of those that are now covered; covertly-placed symbolism and typography that only reveal themselves with an interactive change in lighting and physical perspective; and vibrational color choices that invite the eye to move from places of abstract chaos to more calming sections of meditative intention - there is a palpable shift within my artistic expression being presently more informed by compression, constraint, isolation, and an empathetic longing to heal and plant “seeds” for a more equitable future for generations to come.
Liminal Divide.
Liminal Divide II.
This longing has manifested itself even further into a series of work interpreting those critical, liminal points in one's life where the shock of events (most often outside one's personal sphere of life experience) create confusion, denial, and hopefully acceptance. These pivotal moments are most often followed by a compelling drive to seek verifiable truth and expanding awareness as to how oneself is connected to these truths. And then, lastly, there arrives an urgent need for action and a reboot of one's complacency, especially in regards to righting the wrongs of previous generations. Two recent pieces, Liminal Divide and Liminal Divide II, contain within them furtive visual references to the blood of Black brothers and sisters so often spilled by those in blue uniforms. The liminal divide is that point where privileged white populations are forced to confront their silent observations and move through a new, unexpected, and undeniably uncomfortable, rite of passage into vocal alliance and active protest. Painting what I often cannot put into words, this abstract series continues even deeper into interpretation of linear and non- linear aspects of human experience and memory, and how the experience and memories of one individual or group weave and layer themselves in close contact with those of another.
Finally, and not surprisingly, many of the pandemic works have revealed themselves to be an “accidental” talisman of sorts; reflecting a desire to have something, anything to hold onto (contact) during these rites of passage, into which to put our faith, dreams, and higher intentions. While struggling with my own responses to the external, uncontrollable “insanity” witnessed during current events, I found myself drawn, again and again, to express my responses through a filter/language of ancient, archetypal soul wisdom. Some of my painted responses are similar to cave paintings. Others feel like portals to another time and space. The most common thread through them all is that they contain within them an aura of talismanic “blessings;” one can exhibit in one's home or safe space as a way to invite good fortune during a time when our fortunes are swiftly rising and falling like the ocean tide. Do I have evidence of these talismanic blessings? Maybe so. While limited to my small home studio, I painted nearly 19 of these pieces and gratefully sold nine of them during a time when people were losing their jobs and incomes and I was also forced to close my business. The funds from these art sales have made it possible for me to sustain my gallery/working studio space and remain a viable arts-centered business, supporting arts and culture in Las Vegas and beyond.
There is no doubt that these themes will continue to inform and guide my studio practice, my creative expression, and even my drive to serve my community. Until that time when we each choose to become living, breathing talismans for one another, i.e., blessing and supporting our fellow human beings, our talismans will remain objects into which we project that which our hearts and souls most desire.
Photo/Nancy Good.
Born in Texas in the 1960s, Nancy Good now lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her creative pursuits over the past three decades have been heavily influenced by: travels to Australia, Africa, Vietnam; childhood residency in Japan; adult life as an artist, photographer, musician, outdoor enthusiast, writer, and teacher across the US, along with her eclectic DNA revealing connections with cultures the world over. Good's studio practice is deeply rooted in self- discipline, dedication, and unwavering focus on the creation of strong contemporary art that compels dialogue and human connection. Working with a sensory condition known as synesthesia, she is acutely aware of vibrations, and translates this into her work via color palette and thematic elements. A published and award-winning artist, Good’s work is regularly seen in exhibits across the country in high profile locations such as Las Vegas City Hall, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery (UNLV), Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art (UNLV), Nevada Humanities, HERE Arts in NYC, Nashville International Airport, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas, Burning Man, Life is Beautiful Festival, and galleries in the Southeast, New York, Montana, Nevada, and California. Her work is also found in important private collections throughout the U.S. and overseas through sales, gifts and charitable donations, including the acquisition of her work by the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Fine Art and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Most recently, Good has received three Congressional Commendations for her artistic contributions.
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