participant : James J. H.
title : The Golden Bird
received : the 16th of November 2000
media : hand made, hand chosen papers

I try hard not to pressure the venerable participants in this project. Even so, there are days I find it irresistible to inquire as to a participant's progress with a piece. When asked about the state of his puzzle piece, my friend James told me this tale;

Once a renown artist was commissioned to paint a fish for the Emperor. The artist was instructed to paint only the most magnificent fish for the Emperor's collection. After one month the Emperor visited the artist at his painting studio. The Emperor had come to check on the progress of his painting, but the artist turned the Emperor away saying that the painting was not ready. The Emperor returned two months later only to be turned away again. This continued for many years. At last when the Emperor could no longer contain himself, he demanded that the artist finish his painting. The artist took out a fine sheet of paper, a bowl of ink, and a great brush. With truly masterful technique the artist painted his fish before the Emperor's own eyes. The Emperor was amazed in the beauty of the painting. But the Emperor soon became outraged; in just a few moments the artist had painted the very fish that the Emperor had been made to wait for for so many years. Not to be trifled with, the Emperor demanded an explanation of the artist. The artist invited the Emperor into the back of his painting studio. The walls and tables of the back room were covered in thousands upon thousands of paintings of the fish that the Emperor had just received.

I will leave you to your own truth. Thank you James.*

This page was last "treated" on Sunday, 16 December, 2001 23:12.
*Kind friend, please excuse the wait to see this page finished.