Spontaneous Construction, Available Resources

Spontaneous Construction, Available Resources

Available Resources, by Tom Wachunas

By Tom Wachunas

  “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in  prayer.”  ― Martin Luther

   “We should seek not so much to pray but to become prayer.”       St. Francis of Assisi

   Some of you readers (maybe many?) know that my primary use for Facebook is to simply post notice of and links to these blog missives. That’s essentially the extent of my engagement with social media. No Instagram, no Twitter, no Youtube, no…you get the picture. 

   I’ve got serious work to do - books to read, art to make - no places to go before I sleep, and loads time on my hands. Such a blessing, right? 

   Confession time. Thanks to the current societal moratorium on so many things having to do with ostensibly ‘normal’ or contented living, I feel not so much energized or inspired as just plain lazy. I’ve been cruising through Facebook for increasingly longer periods of time, and rationalizing it by convincing myself that I’m staying somehow informed, connected, compassionate and communicative. In fact my over-indulgence in this social platform had begun to overwhelm me with a debilitating cynicism. Navigating through all the hate, lies, ignorance, confusion and anger which infects Facebook had become – emotionally, psychologically, and most importantly, spiritually – a terribly exhausting abuse of time.

   That said, of course there are also Facebook encounters with genuine grace. I’m grateful for all those who share words, sounds, and images that elevate my soul, along with my sense of art (and humor), often fostering real hope and joy. Certainly not least among those are my friends and colleagues who work in all manner of media and continue to post updates on their recent projects. They motivate me.

   And so it was that this morning I rose from my creative doldrums and decided it was time to re-focus, to prioritize, to purify. Time to quit moping, quit treading Facebook water, and just…do.

   The Martin Luther quote above is especially apropos. In fact I prayed, prayer being indeed an action. A verb. This morning my prayer took the form of a modest assemblage I’ve titled Available Resources. The work is a somewhat ramshackle improvisation, an impromptu meditation, made quickly (about three hours, interestingly enough) with eminently timeless materials such as corrugated cardboard, duct tape, twine, bandaids, gauze, glue, paint…and a single white map pin. 

   Covid19 on my mind, to be sure, but something else altogether in my heart. My own handprint in Pthalo Blue. In Cadmium Red Medium, the hand of, well…you get the picture.