Life's Pinwheel of Memories | Mixed Media Project

I remember my childhood playing endlessly with my own pinwheel that my parents purchased for me at a discount store. It didn't matter what other small items I acquired over the years. I kept my pinwheel within reach. Whenever I was feeling lost or discouraged, I'd blow into the wind and watch the pinwheel spin. Don't know why that simple act of spinning fascinated me. I held onto that pinwheel until it was destroyed in a fire that consumed our home.

Today, I currently have one, together with two spinning top.

For no reason, I'll grab the pinwheel and spin it numerous times. Then, I'll locate the spinning tops and get them circling. I'm resetting while remembering past events..

My mother was only sixty-two when she passed suddenly from a massive heart attack. I recall the night as though it last night. The missed telephone call that could perhaps have made a difference. Although the blame has subsided, the memory will always pinch and release a twinge.

Having to make a life and death decision to remove someone from life support is a devastating act to undertake. Having that person ascend into the afterlife on the day she gave birth to you is unfathomable and indescribable.

After the decision, moving through time to senior citizen feels strange. Distant. I feel as though it's the reason I love the beach scene so much. Being close to the water where she loved to sit silently while pole fishing and sipping her favorite brew always brings a smile. That is, until I'm asked to remove the catch and bait the hook again. Those crabs were torture.

I'd always ask, "what you thinking 'bout?" She'd take a sip, then simply reply, "life."

Reclining on the shore, I now gaze out over the water as far as my sight will take me. I wonder what life adventures lie on the other side.

Not having a mother to talk to; confide in; and receive advice for the past thirty-five years leaves a void that will never close.

For my current mixed media project, I wanted to portray dealing with life's adversities. What better way than a pinwheel that suggests life is constantly moving if involved in action that propels life forward.

Below are my steps in designing this mixed media project.

I utilized Canva, my design program, to blend the different type images which began with a blank, white canvas. I then added layers of elements to complete the blending process.

The images I included in my project are below. I retrieved the first three stable diffusion images from the program StarryAI. The remaining ones are free-sourced, except for the pure fractal I designed in the advanced fractal rendering program, Aphophysis 7X. The fractal actually resembled a pinwheel, so I titled it "Pinwheel in Purple".

^{Little boy in woods ~ Eyes watching little girl ~ Brown Pinwheel - Contributed to #LIL by @eve66 ~ Pure Fractal titled "Pinwheel in Purple}