With Each Curve: Geometry, Growth, and the Shape of Becoming

Pen and ink contemporary fine art by Doug Ashby

The end of summer is always a bittersweet time for me. As a teacher I both relish the return to a structured life, yet at the same time I know I will miss some of the rhythms that are allowed. There is nothing wrong at all with not using an alarm clock. As the warmth lingers on, often hanging around in a lazy fashion, I both sense and crave the change that is just on the horizon. Seasons are spiral and within we find the shape of the patterns that overlay our daily lives. As this season comes to an end and the quiet transition to fall, and then winter, sets upon us we feel that tension once again between the lives we fit ourselves into, the geometry, and the greater organic nature that tends to determine so much. 

Here we have a nautilus. An enduring reminder of the fact that geometry, within the organic, exists. Almost as if it’s there for us to witness, yet never fully understand. The mythical golden ratio we chase after with abandon, yet fall so short of in its implementation. At the end of summer I find myself seeking more calm, and quiet, yet at the same time looking towards the horizon and the change it will bring. I seek to stay rooted, anchored to something easy and predictable. Yet the nautilus, with all its beauty, is a fragile entity and we must accept that, for that is the curvature of our being. It is within that we find the dynamic shape of all things. 

Similar to the seahorse I shared a few weeks back, this artwork is an older piece. It is nearly twenty years old now. In many ways older artworks serve as time capsules to the place the artist was at the time of creation. Similarly the nautilus retains its smaller chambers over time even as it grows beyond into the newer and larger chambers. As the spiral continues the life inside changes. As I reflect back on the many changes that have taken place over the last two decades I feel that I need to embrace this natural geometry more fully and the emergent responsiveness it dictates. Again we see the tension. Growth happens regardless yet I feel often tethered to a past that simply has disappeared. Despite wanting to retain aspects of who I was at the time of creating this artwork I am simply a different person due to time. The logarithmic spiral has pushed me to where I am and with that I need to place myself within that new chamber. 

I long for rest. For a much simpler life. Yet the forces surrounding me are pushing that further off into the distance. Like Frost there are still miles to go. Yet at the end of summer I can find some respite if I have the will. There can be a moment between what has transpired and what is to come. A moment between the fullness of today, and yet the need to release in order to grow. The trick at this particular threshold is to determine, mindfully, what from the past is worth carrying along into the future. What can serve and vice-versa what can hinder. There are many personal rhythms held deep within the spiral curve that may need to remain on an older rung, etched within as a remainder of what once was. 

So what then is it that needs to be released and left behind in the lower realms of the spiral? There is still a tension between duty and a life of desire. In many ways it’s strange in that the older I get the more duty becomes ingrained. A repetitive force that once was railed against becomes a welcome friend. But growth, organic growth, has tendencies of its own intuition. There is a freedom in a life somewhat unplanned. Balancing duty and desire then becomes dual edges of the spiral and even freedom and desire must shape itself into a form to persist. Growth therefore becomes the very thing that at a younger age I fought hard against. It lies equally between duty and desire, responsibility and freedom. This then is the focus of quiet reflection the end of summer, in its slower rhythms, offers.  

So as we enter the final weeks of summer I turn my attention towards what lies ahead, and how I can more successfully navigate the near term future. Life comes with many constraints that arise from duty and responsibility, the question then becomes how does my world grow? Like the nautilus, how does one build upon, and within, to achieve meaningful transformation? Can we grow into a more value driven life within the boundaries that we have been given? None of us know what the next chamber, despite being larger, will bring. We are invited to journey into that space however, and we must go, despite the many known unknowns. 

Within each curve we find the shape of all things. In many ways the spiral on the nautilus is representative of our collective, and individual, journey. It is beautiful in its encompassing form yet imperfect within that. Along this journey, in part due to its cyclical nature, there are many natural endings and beginnings as we expand outward. And as summer inevitably turns to fall, and so on, we are given the opportunity to pause, reflect, and affirm that growth is inevitable. It's just how we choose to utilize and embrace it that matters. While the shape that emerges is not always visible from within it is nevertheless forming. 

As always I hope that you enjoy the art and writing. I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment. I promise I will respond. This artwork is not for sale. 

Thanks, 

Doug