Impressions of a Fusionart/Rachana Retreat

I felt like a little girl who finally gets to go to the playground. The weekend I had been awaiting eagerly for months had finally arrived. I felt so excited because I knew somehow that it would be an amazing weekend of painting, dancing, talking and laughing. Early on Friday afternoon I arrived at Pali Mountain Retreat and Conference Center, nestled high in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains on the Rim of the World highway between Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs. The endless natural beauty of the mountains and forest provided an atmosphere of serenity and wonder, which was the ideal setting for this journey into our individual and collective creativity.

The weather was chilly and the sky alternated between cloudy and sunny, which made us appreciate even more the glorious sunshine which graced the rest of our weekend. I was the first to arrive except for Carole and John Burdick, who put in long hours lovingly coordinating all the logistics of the retreat. John and I were the first to set up our easels and begin to paint. The large wooden conference room where we would be painting was light and spacious with adjoining decks outdoors overlooking the forest. Fully taped with plastic to protect the carpet, this would be our sacred play area for the weekend. Since the spot where I had chosen to paint was near the door, John encouraged me to add some colorful strokes to my black canvas so everyone could see that this was a Fusionart retreat. My energy was already flying; perhaps that is why my strokes resembled a bright-feathered bird. Throughout the afternoon fellow artists arrived, settling into their rooms and then arranging their painting areas.

Rassouli soon came through the door, beaming with happiness, accompanied by his delightful wife Gitty. What a joy it was to be with them in person again. It is always such fun. One of his recordings of beautiful improvised music, which would accompany all of our painting sessions, was soon reverberating throughout the room, raising the energy and baptizing the space with its spirit of free expression. As we began painting together, we started to get to know each other. I hadn’t met almost half of the participants before. Participants came from as far away as New Mexico. Our group of two dozen included all levels of development. There were accomplished artists with many years of experience. There were also those who were strongly drawn to be there, even though they had never painted before.

We shared all of our meals together at a single table in the dining hall, formed by combining smaller tables. As we sat down to dinner, there was a feeling of eagerness for the adventure to come. I realized that I was far from the only one who had been looking forward to this weekend. That evening we celebrated the 80th birthday of my dear friend Felix de Quesada, a very talented and seemingly tireless painter and poet. The whole dining room joined us in singing “Happy Birthday. “

Over dinner Rassouli began explaining the theme and purpose of the retreat. As I understood it, the painting sessions would focus on exploring the moods of the heart using various approaches. We were each to develop our own inner heart connection, and then allow the heart to express itself through our arm, our hand, and our brush as it placed color on the canvas. This can only be done when we are fully involved in the present. Letting go of the judgments, expectations and emotional baggage of the past is necessary in order to free ourselves to create from our inner truth. When we overcome resistance and our hearts are open, we receive all the help we require. We are free to love, and creativity springs from love. Loving ourselves for who we are, loving each other, and loving what we are doing. When our hearts open in this way, we feel an explosion of energy and joy. Creating from authentic experience heals us and we become whole again. This applies collectively as well as individually. The open heart is a fertile field, capable of the love which is necessary to heal and unite the planet.

After dinner we gathered in chairs around a roaring fire pit near the dining hall, prepared for us by the attentive Retreat Center staff. We drank in the breathtaking beauty of the sunset over the mountains, with the lights of Lake Arrowhead village twinkling in the distance. I felt very close to Nature in all its magnificence and mystery. The discussion, led by Rassouli continued with a natural ebb and flow from profound to mundane, seasoned with Sufi humor and wisdom. The fire’s warm flames and the soft Persian music in the background conspired with the stillness of the forest to cast a spell over us, loosening any tight knots or burdens our psyches had been holding. We sensed that this was a safe space to be playful and vulnerable, and to speak from our hearts without fear of judgment. The energy of the group became light and soft. The alchemy had begun.

The mountain air was cold as we walked in the dark back to our painting studio from the fire pit. It didn’t matter because we were glowing. With residual resistance removed, our energy was free to expand. Rassouli put on some music and encouraged us to dance as we painted. The room was filled with happiness. Everyone was drunk without a drop of alcohol. Some of us were doing the Sufi turn, and I could feel the energy spiraling through the ceiling, and the roof about to come off. I kept on playing with the “bird of paradise” on my canvas. The creative partying lasted until midnight, but some of us turned in earlier so we would be ready for Saturday. I realized again how wonderful this energy is. It was so natural and effortless, even with people I had never met before. I wondered why we don’t experience it more often, and why some people never feel it all. I chose “Soul Flight” as the name for this painting (see below).


That night I slept soundly with my window open to take in the fresh mountain air. I was awakened by the sound of birds and hikers returning from their morning walk. After breakfast we gathered on the outdoor deck of the conference room where Rassouli gave us a practical demonstration of letting go of the past in order to create something new in the present. Amber, a fellow artist, offered to let go of one of her paintings for the demonstration. With masterful brushstrokes, Rassouli transformed her painting into a new one, both in mood and appearance. He also made the point before our eyes that we are not to become attached to any particular a painting, because we always have the power within us to create a better one. Our deep desire is to be in love with creativity itself rather than any particular work.

I felt inspired by the demonstration, and I couldn’t wait to get to my easel. In my eagerness to begin, I accidentally tipped over my jar of red paint, spilling it over part of my canvas and onto the floor. I immediately saved as much of the jar as I could, then surveyed the situation in dismay. It looked like a crime scene where a bloody murder had taken place. This was definitely the death of any expectations I had about what I would paint. Fortunately the universe had a better plan. Since I refused to let the canvas go to waste, the only question was how to resurrect it. The “accident” actually increased my concentration as I was determined to meet the challenge. I began by adding yellow to soften the red into orange, then played with the color until a figure gradually began to emerge. I asked Rassouli for help with the profile, which he gladly gave.

There was a magical synergy in the studio. I felt that the creative energy of the other artists was feeding me as I was feeding them. The more we shared, the greater the energy became. This is a tremendous benefit of painting in groups. In addition to circulating and helping all of us, Rassouli added even more to the energy of the group by painting along with us himself. My focus did not waver for the rest of the day even while I was dancing. I maintained my inner connection with the painting until it was finished at the end of the afternoon. Spilling the red paint was actually a great blessing. Rather than bemoaning the accident, I decided to “go with the flow” literally and in the end a wonderful painting emerged. This is what happens when we let go of resistance to the present moment. I titled this painting “Tara,” the Hindu goddess of peace and protection (see below).

After dinner we returned to the fire pit. While seated in our chairs, we were led in gentle, relaxing yoga movement by Felicia Tomasko, editor of LA Yoga magazine. We also used pressure points on the body to release each other’s tight, knotted muscles. The retreat, described as a Rachana Retreat, was a combined venture of Fusionart International and LA Yoga. Yoga includes many different paths to liberation. Rachana Yoga is the yoga of creativity. Fusionart, in the broad sense, would be considered a form of Rachana Yoga. After centering our bodies with Yoga, we went into silent meditation as we listened to music which transported me upward as it echoed gently through the mountains. Although the day had been long and I had felt a satisfied tiredness at dinner, the yoga and meditation completely recharged my battery and I was ready to return to painting for our final session of the day. As we began painting again, the music and dancing continued. The energy in the studio became simultaneously more playful and powerful than ever. Everyone was riding on it. There was such a feeling of unity in the studio. I began covering my third canvas with bright yellows, blues and greens to express the elation I was feeling. By 10:30 I was ready for bed. When my head hit the pillow, I quickly fell into a sound sleep.

Having lived in this timeless dimension for the past two days, it came as a bit of a shock Sunday morning that the final day of the retreat was already here. However, I was cheered by a surprise visit by my husband, Richard, who joined us for breakfast. After breakfast we gathered in the studio for a guided meditation on the rainbow led by Gitty Rassouli. With my eyes closed, I listened to Gitty‘s melodious voice describing each color. As they floated before me - sometimes as clouds and sometimes as transparent fabric – I saw them melting together into pathways and bridges to infinity. We used the meditation experience as inspiration for our creative expression that morning. I continued to play with the painting I had begun the previous evening incorporating the meditation feeling. The atmosphere was still and peaceful in the studio. We were focused within, savoring every moment of our last painting session before the evaluation session which would conclude of the retreat. My third painting (below) is Pathways.

The chairs were arranged in a semi-circle with 4 easels placed in front of the group. We each presented our work with the paintings arranged in the order in which they had been painted. Each artist spoke of his or her work first, encouraged to discuss the feeling that motivated each painting. Then the group offered the artist their reactions to the work, particularly how it affected them. Finally Rassouli added his comments. The overall experience was very positive and supportive. What stood out for me was the growth in emotional freedom I saw in the final painting compared to the initial piece. As much as we had bonded as a group, we had each taken our own unique inner journey as well. Many of us had artistic breakthroughs. Some had personal breakthroughs as well, which were reflected in their painting and gave new perspective to their lives. The quality, particularly the use of rhythm in the work, was remarkably high even from those who had never painted before. There were some truly amazing works. Finally, we embraced and said our fond farewells to each other and the mountains, with gratitude deep in our hearts for all we had experienced and learned together over the past three days.

Ultimately a Fusionart retreat is about much more than painting. It gives us a practical experience of the power of the heart and love to transform individuals and groups. It focuses our attention on what is most essential and valuable to us as human beings. It demonstrates our creative power to go beyond our self-imposed limitations and to discover that we are more than we ever thought or imagined. It teaches us that our lives can be beautiful and joyous.

Eisenhower Medical Center Exhibit

2009 ended on a high note with the solo exhibit at the Lucy Curci Cancer Center in the Eisenhower Medical Center in nearby Rancho Mirage. I was honored to be selected for the Inaugural Exhibit of the Eisenhower Arts in Healthcare Program. We had been in contact with Jeannette De Bonne, Art Director at EMC, for some time and our preparations came to fruition on November 12th with the opening of the exhibit. Jeannette had to overcome scepticism from some of her colleagues, however the scepticism turned to enthusiasm once the sceptics actually saw the exhibit. The place chosen for the exhibit was a long wall of ribbed concrete just off the main lobby, which provided the perfect backdrop for the bright colors of the 7 works hung with transparent wire from the ceiling.

EMC hosted a lovely reception on Friday, December 11th from 5:30-7:30pm. The event was publicized in The Desert Sun and well attended. Jeannette is an accomplished artist herself, and her harp music was the perfect live entertainment for the occasion. I admired her determination that the exhibit would take place, and it has been a joy to get to know another kindred spirit. The exhibit was very well received, and was extended until the end of January. Below are pictures of me at the reception with Jeannette and also my husband Richard.

I returned to the Lucy Curci Cancer Center again in February to be the guest leader of a painting workshop for some of the patients. The participants were accustomed to trying to paint realistic objects in these workshops. As a fusionartist, I told them to forget about realistic objects and simply use the colors to express whatever they were feeling. The class became very excited by this freedom, and we had a wonderful session together.

Fusionart Retreat

The clouds came closer once we left the hot, sunny desert floor in La Quinta for the cool mountains of Pilgrim Pines, high above the apple and cherry orchards of Yucaipa. I had been looking forward eagerly to spending this first weekend in June among the tall pines and the green meadow of this beautiful retreat center and participating in the painting workshop (a better description would be a “playshop”) led by my teacher, Rassouli. I was among the first to arrive. Throughout the afternoon, Friday, the rest of our group found their way up the rural, winding road to our quiet haven. A number of the other students were fellow Fusionartists, and we have formed a strong bond of unity over the past several years. We immediately felt the joy of coming together again to do what we love. There is always a safe, happy energy when we create together. There were some new faces as well, including beginners, and getting to know them added greatly to my enjoyment of the weekend. The clouds, by the way, never transformed into rain and the weather was lovely for the entire weekend.

After a delicious dinner in the dining hall at Pilgrim Pines, prepared with food grown at the retreat center, we gathered in one of the rustic meeting rooms assigned to us and Rassouli gave an opening talk on the agenda for the retreat. He also spoke about the interplay of music and painting as well as Fusionart’s approach as an expression of the soul. He then put on some marvelous Middle Eastern music to inspire us, and we began to paint. This music always opens my heart, and I quickly entered a meditative state in which I was experiencing a feeling of enchantment and romance. Automatically I began applying the colors I was seeing with swirling brushstrokes. I had no preconceived idea of what I would paint. I was just immersed in the process. This is the part of me that can create because it does not judge. Rassouli noticed that the strokes were creating 2 figures. He then used my unfinished painting as an example of how beautifully the soul can reveal itself when we allow it to express itself freely. I continued to develop the painting, which I titled Etheric Embrace (below), for the rest of the evening.




Bright and early at 7 o’clock, the crowing of the retreat center rooster served as my alarm clock. I thought, now I know I am truly in the country. Breathing in the fresh invigorating air as I made the quick walk down the hill to the dining hall for breakfast was a luxury that cost nothing. After enjoying a breakfast of eggs laid by the Pilgrim Pines hens, we reconvened at our “playshop” to continue creating. Mehrdad, a fellow Fusionartist, put on some of his amazing music and we were on our way again. This time my consciousness was suffused with a feeling of profound peace, and a scene in rich shades of blue appeared before me. Embracing its mystery, I was completely content in this world. I was reminded again that we must follow what we love, whether we understand it or not. Let go or be miserable. I choose surrender over resistance to love, happiness over suffering. After I don’t know how long, I returned from my creative state to observe what I had created. Below is the finished piece, which I titled Atlantis Rising because a number of my fellow students told me that it evoked the lost continent for them.




Later that afternoon I began a third small canvas. The group energy had been building and fusing to a crescendo throughout the day and I was filled with a powerful feeling of Light. My brush was expressing this on the canvas, but I had to express it with my whole body. I caught the eye of my good friend Felix, who was painting next to me, and he immediately understood. We both began dancing, paintbrushes in hand. Mehrdad turned up the music and soon everyone was painting and dancing, dancing and painting, until it all became inseparable. In our state of blissful unity, “under the influence” of divine drunkenness, we became playmates of God and the embodiment of Fusionart. I realized again that this energy, rooted in creativity and a joy beyond judgment, can truly transform the world, and we must share it. Below is the result, Transformation.




After dinner, Rassouli demonstrated for us how to transform an old painting into a completely new one by using the power of imagination. We spent the rest of the evening over a glass of wine in a sitting area next to Rassouli’s room. As we basked in the afterglow of the beautiful atmosphere, Rassouli entertained and enlightened us with Nasreddin Sufi stories and we deepened our connection with stories of our own past. It was the perfect way to end the day. The following morning we had our last painting session followed by the group critique. We had become so close in such a short time, and I left totally satisfied with the weekend, filled with positive energy and eager to continue painting. The weekend also reinforced for me some very basic but vital life lessons. Stay curious and open to the unknown. Always take time in your life to do something that makes you happy and satisfied. Share it with others. This is the true abundance of life, greater than financial well-being and material possessions. Above all, whatever it is you want out of life, “Be It.”

Reflections

Above is my latest painting, Astral Realm. Looking at it reminds me that creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy - pure creative energy which infuses all of life and connects us with the Divine. Creativity is the expression of our true selves. When we surrender to this energy, and allow it to flow through us, we express our true selves and we grow. When we resist this energy, we are captured by our small selves and we stagnate, then contract. This painting came to me through my imagination as I was looking at the sky and the formation of the clouds. Everything happens first in the subtle realm of the Astral, and I could see the Earth gracefully circled by the energy of the Divine Mother as if protecting a child. Art is very personal, yet it also transcends the personal. We can go anywhere in our imagination, and the artist takes great joy in this process. I believe that developing the creativity of children is an essential factor in the survival of our planet. As they learn to recognize and trust their Divine connection, they will receive the resources to overcome the seemingly intractable conundrums of our time with as yet unimagined creative solutions. Nurturing the creativity of younger generation in all aspects will enable them to bring forth fresh ideas of beauty and lead mankind to higher levels of civilized development.

Rickeysart.com gets a "facelift"

I, Rickey Hoefnagel, am proud to announce that rickeysart.com has just been updated and is now better than ever thanks to the tireless efforts of my new webmaster, Jean-Louis Boers. In checking out the remodeled web site, the first thing you will notice in addition to the elegant new font is that the video of the Bridging Heaven and Earth spiritual talk show mentioned in my previous post is now available on the home page. Just click and play. We will have more videos for our visitors in the future. The Gallery features a large selection of my paintings, and is now divided into 3 categories. The Main Gallery features current works available for purchase. The other 2 sections contain works previously sold and works that have been donated. Works in each section can now be viewed as a slideshow, and each piece can be expanded with a single click. Acrylic on canvas continues to be my primary medium. Poetry now has its own area for your enjoyment. In the Artist's Statement, I discuss briefly how Fusionart and its founder, Freydoon Rassouli (see http://www.rassouli.com ), have inspired me to create art that is expressive of the heart, the soul and the Spirit. Art for me is a sacred journey. The Bio page has been reworked and expanded to include listings of recent and upcoming exhibits as well as some information on my training over the last 20+ years leading up to my current artistic incarnation as a founding member of Fusionart International (see http://www.fusionartinternational.com ). We love to hear from people who visit our site, and that is now very simple with the Contact Us page. I believe you will be impressed and appreciative as I have been with how simple and easy it is to navigate from place to place within the site with a single click. Rickeysart.com can truly be described as "user friendly." Also, please be aware that rickeysart.com has now replaced our old address, www.rickeyhoefnagelsgallery.com. Always go to http://rickeysart.com . So, please check out our new look and let us know what you think. Your feedback is always appreciated.

No Recession for Fusionart

Well, Spring is here and a lot has been going on already this year. In January one of my paintings, Creation, was featured as part of the spiritual talk show, Bridging Heaven and Earth, seen on cable television and also uploaded to youtube.com and google.com. The show is #236, and it can be seen on their web site, http://www.heaventoearth.com/. Check it out. The painting, which was inspired by and created for this project, can also be seen at their online art gallery, http://www.heaventoearthart.com/. (You can find me under "R" for Rickey.) We were invited to attend the taping in Santa Barbara, and the high energy in the room was quite palpable. It was a real joy to be able to connect again with Alan, producer/host of the show, and Bianca. They are an amazing couple, and their commitment to producing this wonderful program and contributing to the healing of the planet is truly a labor of love.

From March 13-15, I had the opportunity to exhibit my work and demonstrate painting at the Quantum Leap 2012 Conference in Burbank, California, along with more than a dozen of my fellow Fusionartists. The Conference was a gathering of speakers, workshops and vendors united in the intention to bring greater spiritual awareness, healing energy and peaceful cooperation to our planet. 2012 refers to the end of the Mayan calendar when some believe great changes will take place. Our Fusionart founder, Rassouli, was one of the featured speakers and delivered an inspiring multimedia presentation of his incredible work that transported the audience. I know it transported me. In addition to exhibiting our works, throughout the Conference we took turns demonstrating at our easels set up in a large room adjacent to the main hall. The people who wandered into our Fusionart "play room" were invited to create art too at a table in the center of the room supplied with paint and paper. Sometimes people would say, "But I can't draw," and I had to laugh when I remembered I had uttered the same words back in 1985. The point we wanted to make is that we are all artists if we allow ourselves to be, and we can bring our creativity into all aspects of our daily lives at any moment when we choose to do so. "Life is what you make it," is one of my favorite sayings. Many children of all ages joined our creativity fest and quickly became engrossed in the process once they let go of self-judgement. We even got some free publicity on the front page of a local newspaper. I was pleased with the small painting that came to me while I was demonstrating(see below). The title is, guess what, Quantum Leap.

I demonstrated Fusionart again this year for Art Night at the Amelia Earhart Elementary School in our La Quinta neighborhood. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this last year. Color often evokes a natural excitement in children, and their interest and enthusiasm is most rewarding. Art Night was March 26th.

Speaking of art for children, the Hollywood Arts Council recently contacted me. The Council is holding its 23rd annual "Charlie Chaplin Awards" evening on April 19th at the Hollywood Palladium. The "Charlies" are presented by Hollywood celebrities to honor outstanding merit in Hollywood and its arts. I was asked if I would donate a painting for the silent auction, which is part of the event. The money raised helps to fund an after school art program for "at risk" grade school kids. Since I believe passionately in the value of developing children's creativity and appreciation of art, I gladly accepted. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, the event is well attended and affords an opportunity for some good exposure. Below is the painting I donated, Branches (recently re-titled).


Ignoring the doom and gloom of the news, I continue to paint for the love of painting, as do my fellow Fusionartists. A group of us get together 2 Saturdays a month at Clover Park in Santa Monica to paint under the trees near picnic tables, basketball courts and soccer fields. People stroll through our outdoor "studio," often stopping to chat or just watch. The group energy of artists painting together is so positive that it naturally attracts. The world needs to experience the joy of positive self-expression and creativity more than ever now. By simply taking pleasure in our art and each other's company, in our own little way we make the world a better place.

Note: My new webmaster, Jean-Louis Boers, who is gifted in all things technical, is hard at work on a new, improved version of this web site. Look for it soon.

November 17, 2008

Time has flown by this year, and the holidays are almost here. I am embarrassed to admit that my blogs have not kept up with the fast pace. Let me try to redress that right now. The children's painting class was great fun on Saturday mornings during the Winter and Spring months. However, as summer approached with its hot weather, vacations and so forth, we disbanded.

Meanwhile, a number of Fusionartists had been planning an exhibit housed in a section of the James Gray Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica for months. Bergamot Station is an excellent venue, but in this case there was very limited wall space for each artist. I decided to attend and help with the desk rather than exhibit my work. The opening night reception for the exhibit last February was one of the largest in the history of the James Gray Gallery, with the packed crowd so packed in that it overflowed out the doors into the parking lot. The event was very successful in gaining local recognition for Fusionarts as a new, 21st century approach to art. Below is a photo with my teacher, Rassouli, at the reception.

This exhibit was quickly followed by a second exhibit at a much more spacious location, Gallery C in Hermosa Beach. This beautiful gallery was a converted movie theatre with soaring ceilings and Grecian columns. I immediately decided to exhibit there. It was quite an undertaking. Even Rassouli himself exhibited for the first time with his students. We filled the large walls of the entire gallery with our work. Under the guidance of a professional curator, the effect was stunning. My work was prominently displayed near the entrance of the gallery. The exhibit ran through the month of May, and I enjoyed the chance to travel to the beautiful beach city on the weekends. This exhibit was an even greater artistic success. Collectors, art lovers and the general public flowed through week after week, mesmerized by the unique combinations of dynamic colors and deeply evocative forms arising spontaneously from the canvasses. I was interviewed by a local journalist, and I hope to be able to post some of it on this web site in the near future.


During this time, I made the acquaintance of Allan Silberhartz, who hosts a cable television show and a web site which focus on the healing power of art and the spiritual transformation of the planet. Artists all over the world are creating works of art related to this perspective, which are exhibited on his web site and featured on his television show. After speaking to Allan and learning of his vision I was moved to create the painting below, Creation, to express the healing power of creativity. Allan was very excited to add the painting below to his web site: You can see the work by visiting Allan's web site, http://www.heaventoearthart.com/,
where you will find me alphabetically in the artists list under "R".


After the Gallery C exhibit ended, I was able to spend a few days visitng my son, Marcel, and his family in the Seattle area. We had a lovely time, however I noticed that strange things were happening with my vision. Marcel had hung one of my paintings in his living room, and I commented that the colors were much darker than I remembered. In fact, the colors had not changed. I began to notice straight lines becoming curvy and letters danced on the page when I tried to read. When I returned to the desert, I made an appointment with an optician, thinking that I might need a need a new prescription for eye glasses. As it turned out, I needed much more than a new prescription. My vision continued to deteriorate rapidly, to the point where at times all I could see was a surreal collage of distorted shapes and darkness. Having always been a free spirit, my greatest fear was of becoming dependent. I was referred to a specialist who diagnosed me with central retinal vein occlusion in the right eye. Basically, I had had a stroke in my right eye. I also found out that I had the onset of macular degeneration in my left eye. I am very grateful to have received wonderful support throughout this ordeal from family, friends and fellow Fusionartists who included me in their prayers and prayer circles. At one point my deceased mother briefly appeared to me in a vision. When I told this to Rassouli, he told me to paint her even though I could barely see. He advised me to continue to paint regardless, without judging the outcome. Fortunately, through the miracle of modern medicine, the treatment I have received over the last four months has resulted in great improvement in both eyes. The great lesson of this experience for me as an artist has been to learn to trust my inner vision fully, to know that it sees the truth. Below are 2 of my recent paintings, which will hopefully soon be posted in the Gallery on this web site.

Healing Circle

Standing in the Storm

In reflecting on painting today, I know that I paint from my heart to touch the hearts of others. I still like to bend the rules. I am a rebel at heart. My favorite painting is always my last one. My paintings have an element of mystery, to catch the viewers' attention while allowing them to use their own imagination to assign the meaning. I want people to see the mystery in the ordinary and be uplifted by it.