Well, here I am, welcoming 2011 in with a fish! This specimen was found embedded in a (very wet) sidewalk in Ensenada Mexico last week.

Year of the Fish

Click here to view this image in the gallery.

For me, this image works on many levels – for one thing, I enjoy looking at exactly how the areas fit together, how it was made, the fill material, the areas darkened by water. There is also the composition – shapes and colors. But beyond this physical and material dimension I sense a deeper story: there’s an amazing sense of movement in the image as the fish jumps lithely from one paving stone to the next – as if jumping from one year to another.

As he does this, his mouth is open and something seems to be issuing from it. I imagine words, or a magical incantation of protection from the dangers and challenges to be found in the new stone (or, in my allegorical interpretation, the new year) .

As we start this new year we are all leaping into the unknown. After the rollercoaster of the last year, it is impossible to even imagine what it may bring. Surely, a few words of magical protection  – even from a shamanic fish – couldn’t help.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and successful 2011!