For a still life painter, it helps to understand the secret lives of things. Objects come to us trailing associations, feelings, meanings, and other qualities we may not be able to name. On the one hand, they are simply?present in?our lives, on the other, they are unfathomable mysteries.
This differential, for instance, persuaded a fit young man to carry it 12 miles out of an abandoned junk pile somewhere in Alaska, despite the extra weight. When he left the state, he put it on the grass to one side of his yard sale. I was gliding by on my bicycle when it called out to me.
For months it waited?patiently in my "heavy metal" box, all the while exerting a tug on my awareness. In another part of my life, I was exploring old Japanese textiles. I did not realize this banner would have an affinity with the differential, but when I saw them together, they were a nice match.