Domino Effect – 24″ x 24″ – matboard, embossing, paisley fabric – Pentecost, 2006.
Pentecost is one of my favorite seasons to explore in art, because the traditional color is red, and a traditional image is flames. This gives me a chance to indulge in some gaudy art-making, although the piece I made this year is fairly sedate. But I did get the chance to design a little hot rod flame for the backs of the hand-made dominoes, which was fun.
The main thing on my mind this season was how things spread. We often hear or think about how bad things like disease and violence spread. But good things spread, too! Laughter is infectious. Respect begets respect. Smiling makes other people smile. Kindness and generosity and love and light and gratitude. I want to make a conscious choice about what kinds of lines of dominoes I am starting with my actions, both big and small.