About
The origin of Kaleidoscope dates back to an evening in the mid 1980’s. Each month, when the moon was full, my three children and I set out after dark in search of moon reflections in puddles, windows or shiny metal. Every month I made up a new tale of adventure as we walked together. One night, as we sat on a curb and watched the moon rise above the tree tops. I told the tale of a wizened old woman who lived in an enormous house deep in the forest.
In the center of the house a giant kaleidoscope, three stories tall, pointed toward the sky beneath a ceiling of glass. Each morning the woman climbed a tall ladder and poured the images of her dreams out of her head and into the kaleidoscope. Throughout the day she stopped and turned a beautiful brass gear that caused the kaleidoscope to rotate, tumbling the images of her dreams and creating an infinite variety of beautiful patterns.
Three decades later, the image of that kaleidoscope and the beautiful brass gear came to mind as I created my Dala Art. I'm not so different from the wizened old woman in the forest. I toss the images of the world as I see them each day and spill them out into different patterns on paper and canvas. I bend a telephone pole, move a tree, add a stone wall where there isn’t one and paint the sky in colors of a dress I saw a woman wearing three days ago. I constantly rearrange images in my head and create something new.
Like a quilter who collects scraps of fabric, I collect mental images. I live creatively, always in search of seeing something, hearing something, touching something that will shift the way I think about the universe. I live in a state of childlike wonder and curiosity tempered by the challenges of daily living.
I invite you to join me on a journey to live creatively. I will guide you when you lose sight of the unique path that calls to you, and when you come across a challenge that blocks your progress. Rather than a compass to point the direction, I use a kaleidoscope to navigate. I welcome you to get lost in the world of wonder that is your unique experience of life and to master the skills of pen and brush so that you might share your experience with others.
Chris Carter - Artist - Kaleidoscope Krone
To view the diversity of my art please visit www.ChrisCarterArt.com