Centrifugal/Centripetal: The Dark Night of the Soul 2

Centrifugal Centripetal The Dark Night of the Soul 2 - Ceramic pot

Centrifugal force is the force moving away from the center; centripetal is the force moving towards the center. The movement in this piece is around and up. At its widest, the parts start to separate (centrifugal) but then come back together as the form collapses toward the center (centripetal). In the top part of the piece, the color changes and there is the addition of gold luster. The inside is indicated not just with the openings at the widest point, but also with turquoise glaze escaping from the slits, a premonition of the effulgence to be reached at the top, at the apex. “The Dark Night of the Soul” refers to a mystical poem by St. John of the Cross in which he describes the difficult journey of the maturing soul to union with the Divine. The “Dark Night” is when the soul feels most distant from union, and yet in fact is closest; hence, “Centrifugal/Centripetal.” This is the second iteration of this theme. The first piece is in a private collection but you can see it in the the Gallery Section. I also wrote an article about both of these pieces for the Orange County Artists Guild blog.

21″ x 14″

Glazed Stoneware with Gold Luster

Private Collection

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