Chris Moench
Some stories are simple--such as leaves falling or a bird moving in flight. Others celebrate natural cycles of life, death and rebirth--a moon waxing and waning over a skyline of mountains...a stream burgeoning with salmon, bears, eagles... Other stories are more personal.
And , like traditional prayers wheels, AXIS OF HOPE vessels can be filled with your written prayers, dreams and hopes.
All Came From A Single Point of Nothingness
30 in x 11 in
stoneware
Creation stories are as inherent a part of any culture's identity. The myths are as diverse as the tribes of this earth. Northwest coast native traditions tell of Raven pulling humans from a clam shell. Ancient peoples of the Mediterranean tell how God modeled man and woman from clay and breathed life into them. The Old Testament tale of Genesis still speaks to many contemporary Americans. Science may be the new myth maker as it disproves and sometimes confirms these stories passed down through generations. In this wheel I embrace the creation story of "The Big Bang", the common source of all beings and material in this universe which makes us brothers and sisters of the stars.
Healing Earth
11 in x 8 in
porcelain
Mountains of stone washed inevitably to sea by water and wind. In the infinite sweep of time mountains stand no longer than the leaves of a single season. Both in their fall feed springs of new form and flowering.
The Hunt
22 in x 8 in
porcelain
Life in pursuit and at the same time in flight, seeking the feast and becoming the feast. Balancing a timeless road.
The Qustion of Icarus
17 in x 9 in
porcelain
The Question of Icarus -
Begin by looking in the center of this wheel. Here the story proceeds in two directions: up and down. The upper path first: We desire to fly, be free, birdlike, and gain greater vision. The lower path: We desire to fly, we invent winged planes to carry us high into the sky like birds, we attach weapons to our vision, resulting in our down fall. How do we wish to fly across this tiny slice of sky we call our life?
The Tree of Life
17 in x 9 in
porcelain
In the Book of Genesis the Tree of Life is a tree whose fruit gives everlasting life. In the legends of the Norse, from the ash tree Yggdrasil pours a spring of knowledge. In Jack and the Bean Stalk the stalk is a ladder to another world where one can gain great riches. Indeed, rooted deep in mythologies from around the globe the tree is the bridge between earthly death and heavenly immortality and wisdom. Always the tree searches with its roots for the nurturing gifts of water and earth. Its many branches reach toward the expansive sky in a chorus of pleas for light.