The circle. The infinite symbol, no beginning and no ending; perfect geometry. The circle is also the ideal shape for a gathering of equals - those knights always sat at round tables and covens of witches meet as a circle (and if you recall the unlikely stories, they danced naked in circles too). Circles also appear throughout art and architecture in many forms - the halo, the rainbow, the wheel and the rose window to name just a few. Even ancient architecture wasn't immune; Stonehenge in England, Newgrange in Ireland, Odry in Poland and Filitosa in Corsica plus many others besides, all arranged in circles. The reasons for this are still not clear and explanations range from burial sites to elaborate astronomical timepieces.
The symbolism of the circle in the form of the ring might be the one that we know best in our daily lives, we bestow status on romantic relationships with them, we use them as decoration and as symbols of ownership or authority and we give them magical powers; something Tolkien used to great effect.
I return to the circle in my work often. I love the juxtaposition of the very textured collaged paper against the calming nature of the circle itself (even though cutting out the 'perfect' circle can be anything but calming!). My circles remind me of frothy seas, hot summers, grey winters and even ice cream, but they can be whatever the viewer wants them to be, something I was reminded of recently when a young family member said that my Four Seasons circles looked like planets to him. But of course they do! They are perhaps only landscapes to me, but to him they're something else entirely and that's absolutely as it should be. Something I need to bear in mind when naming my work in future.
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