Quoted below and at length are Matt Rentschler’s quadrant distinctions for making and viewing art, and by which I am planning a painting project for my Integral Art course. It’s a still life of a little shrine to the intersubjectivity of my mom (Ruby) and me.

We’re so much alike that we have often clashed in our similarities, and I come by my tendency to ask big questions straight from her. Based on the four theories of art critique, which correlate to the AQAL quadrants, varying views of the still life are arranged by quadrant, and will be depicted in corresponding styles. Upper Left (individual-interior) as Expressionism; Upper Right (individual-exterior) as Realism; Lower Left (collective-interior) as Impressionism; and Lower Right (collective-exterior) as Symbolism.

I chose to use a framed picture from a family trip to England in 1977. This is the only picture of Ruby and me together from a batch of slides my sister and I recently converted to digital. Of course, a teapot for her undying Britishness, with plant cuttings to symbolize growth and new life.

This Wedgewood box she gave me and reminds me of her. It holds the charm bracelet she built for me over the years as I grew up. A candle because it’s a shrine. And, an old book for learning and the possibility of other lands and times.

As I shopped for props to fill out my shrine, I found my self thinking about my relationship to Ruby. As the oldest child and a girl, Ruby and I have struggled over some boundary disputes. I like the photo because I seem to be pulling away from her a bit, and, you can’t really see it clearly, but she has her arm wrapped around my right leg, holding me close. I love Ruby and deeply respect the courage it must have taken to leave family and country behind for a new world. All she ever wanted to be was a mommy, and she’s pretty much dedicated her life to caring for us and preparing us to go out into the world. A new chapter is unfolding for Ruby as she faces life with grown children—sufficient and prospering without her—the terrain ahead foggy and undefined. Stand by for further updates.