A crowned figure in flowing robes stands before a brilliant circle of light, her hair and garments sweeping through a field of fiery orange and deep red. A pale wooden frame surrounds the illuminated image, with cascading fiber work softening its architectural edges. Below, a candle rests among green, leaflike forms in a shallow bowl, extending the work into the space around it.
The light becomes a way into the idea behind the piece: the choice to make room for joy. For Randy Gaul, difficult times bring a daily question about how we live and what we bring into the lives of others. Choosing joy doesn’t mean ignoring what’s hard. It means consciously opening ourselves to it, switching on a light within that can brighten the day for someone else, too.
Fiber work by Doretta Ruzzier, fiber artist and Gaul’s wife.
