"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eludes us then, but that's no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther..... And one fine morning- "Originally I was planning to call this piece "Gatsby the Goldfish and that elusive Green Light." On further consideration, however, I had to admit to myself that the only reason I even knew those lines was because of John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire, which is hands down my most treasured and often re-read book. One of my favorite parts is when Lilly expresses her grief and frustration, crying "There's always going to be an It--and It is going to elude us, every time. ... He's going to keep going after it and it's always going to get away. Oh, damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Okay, not properly quoted (it has been a while since high school and proper use of quotations), but you get the idea. So now, I think maybe it is time to start on a small works series based on The Hotel New Hampshire. I will have to decide where to begin, though, as there are so many poignant moments and amusing scenarios to choose from. But no more Asian style fabrics - they clash with the barely functioning American family theme of the book.
Anyway, here is the false start, along with the thoughts that went with it. It will likely end up in my scrap pile, or worked into another piece later down the line.
2 comments:
It looks interesting, like the use of the goldfish. Dysfunctional families are like fish out of water, so the analogy goes. And there are many ethnic groups comprising North American culture, so the Koi fabric would work. Where is the green light? On the other side of the post, where the light (threadplay) shines from?
The green light is metaphorical, but is represented by soft green in the thread area the fish is swimming toward. If I stay true to the book, though, I have to do away with the ethnic fabrics - I'm thinking hand dyes and neutrals.
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