A Walk Down Memory Lane

Jamie Rose called me in October to ask about a bronze he acquired that had my signature and copyright. Once he described the piece, I smiled as I knew it was the first piece, and my favorite of all the 20 different bird images that I created for Shaklee Corporation. The Altus Awards were presented to their top sales people every year. Jamie seemed to love the lines of his piece, called Soaring, so much that I told him I would forward him another piece and his email below is the result of our interaction. It is a few moments with another mind that I will never forget and for which I am deeply appreciative. I am so glad Jamie Rose is on this planet!

Here's my email to Jamie:

Jamie, here is another old piece. I made this sculpture from a dream I had where I saw this image. I named it after my grandmother—"Alta". Also, I named it that because of the Spanish word (which means high or elevated). Anyway the piece has a head that shows only half of the face and the other half is an open space. I sculpted it without thinking. I saw the image in my mind and created it. Then someone asked me what the meaning was and I said, without hesitation, that half of the face is the part of us we know and the other space or half is the part we do not. We are always gaining self knowledge and forever having more to learn.~ MK

Alta by MK Shannon

Here's Jamie's response and description of Alta:

"MKWonderful! Thank you for sharing this image with me. At first the lighting/reflections gave me pause . . . but there is so much about it that resonates with me—your description and more so . . .
The universe—our existence our experience is both the ordered and the wildness together. 

And the 'open mind' half in the piece is our fill-able potential, still connected —with everything and within everything—sharing order, sharing disorder, at home with whatever meanings we come to terms with. :-) The head . . . seems poised astride; its tethered connection with Being and yet reaching beyond to . . . the rest of it.
Dreams and spontaneity are a gift of life, aren't they. Communicating the insights—a challenge. But it is imagery that lasts with people, and resonates.I've spent 66 years trying to get a message across on exactly the idea of this sculpture (albeit with words and mathematics—"Integrity Paradigm— understanding the integral universe" UIU)—so I definitely appreciate the challenge. :-) 

I am so glad to have connected with you around the eagle. It really means a lot to me. It's an elegant work. So hopeful in its sweeping lines. I wrote a poem back in the 60's about Yuri Gagarin that your sculpture made me remember. Because when he achieved orbit as the first human in space around the earth, he radioed back, "I am Eagle, I am Eagle" 'wingless and mystic he soared . . ." I always admired his exhilaration. 

And the sculpture's rough and reaching—curved base of the piece—is the earth below. I called her "horizon", the sleek and streaming active space beneath him- -lovers moving together in the stellar expanse, different from each other; separated but so closely connected. You captured that in your styling—both the soaring freedom, and the unbreakable connection. 

Please forgive me for adding this layer of personal relevance—your incredible story today literally took my breath away. All and so much happening and falling into place and opening up potential and opportunity for your life. You've had me smiling all day, and thanking life for hearing about such a phenomenal affirming experience. Just happy for you.(!) Don't know when or how but I will definitely act on your offer to meet at the foundry some day. I look forward to it. 

Stay incredible  :-)Jamie"