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Mione Plant

Art Letters

August 15, 2024

My mom, my dad, my brother, my child, my best friend - I’ve painted about them all - and for some reason, not my partner, my husband. I’ve tried. It always seemed like a multitude to distill into a painting. Perhaps because of how dynamic partnerships are, in constant movement. It’s complex and also very simple.

While sketching shapes in the studio recently, coming up against the limits of my compass and French curves - I asked my husband how an ellipse is made. Revisiting geometry, he explained, unlike a circle, drawn with a radius orbiting a central point, an ellipse is made with two focus points.

This logic sparked emotion. And then they connected.

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A string is tied around two focus points (in plural known as foci) and the desired top of the ellipse. From there, the string is rotated around the foci to draw an ellipse.

While it’s distance from each foci changes, the string stays the same length no matter where it moves around the ellipses’ edge.

Let’s say each person in the relationship is represented by a single focus point. Above, Kevin at the green dot, and myself at the blue dot. If I’m choosing to operate at the far edge of our ellipse, Kevin will need to stretch further (the long green line) to accommodate us, whereas I only move a minimal distance (the short blue line) from my focus point. Alternatively, as Kevin moves further away from our mutual center, I will need to stretch to rebalance the unit.

Sawing the newly drawn ellipse

Priming after sanding

Refining after painting

The foci are in perfect balance when the string traverses the top of the ellipse or the bottom of the ellipse. At that point, the string is situated in the mutual center, with each foci of equal distance.

It’s a wonderful idea.

Where life lives though is orbiting these magical points. As Brene’ Brown explains, a relationship works towards a sum of 100, not a balance of 50/50. Some days a partner is at 20%, and the other covers the 80.

While meeting in the middle is the goal, the orange and yellow threads remind me to be gentle with myself and my partner when one of us needs to hang out in the 20. And a reminder to be aware when we unsustainably overextend to the 80.

The thread stretches and remains the same length.

There is no i in foci.

 

When I tried to hang the completed painting, I wasn’t able to lift it alone. So I waited.

We hung it together.

 

THERE IS NO I IN FOCI
44 x 36 Acrylic and Thread on Custom Wood Panel
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Thank you for personally connecting with me through this work. I’ll meet you in the middle.

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Mione Plant, 7853 La Cosa Dr, Dallas, United States

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