Basic HTML Version
92
winter
|
spr ing
But Herschler also drew inspiration from outside the
world of visual arts. A decade into developing the Ribbons,
he studied with movement expert Moshé Feldenkrais,
creator of the method, awareness through movement.
He later spent two weeks learning from the famed
psychiatrist-hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.
He’s also a dedicated world traveler, having
visited more than 70 countries spanning
five continents – particularly Asia, where
numerous examples of calligraphy also
influence his work.
All those influences have found
their way into the evolution
of his decidedly original
pieces over the years, a
development Herschler himself has observed.
“They’ve become more pure, the movement more elegant
and graceful. They’re more meditative and hypnotic, more
trance-inducing with their delicate, graceful flow. They
hopefully create more of a feeling of reaching a point of
infinity or timelessness….And I’m always trying to improve on
what I created before.”
In a challenging art world where so many artists fashion work
that confronts, Herschler instead seeks to soothe and inspire,
preferring to accentuate the positive aspects of life.
“This world is filled with so much chaos and change,” he explains.
“What I’m expressing is an idea of how good life can be, that we can
live in peace and in harmony with all things.”
Indeed, the sculptor has immersed himself in nature, where he draws
his greatest inspiration. He has spent nearly four decades in Santa Barbara,
including the last 24 in his home in Montecito, where daily doses of ambient
beauty also inform his work.
“The Ribbons are definitely a reflection of who I am and how I think,
and my inner search for a higher consciousness,” he says. “What I’m
expressing in my sculpture is a big part of me.”
But Herschler acknowledges that it takes more than his own
hands to fashion the gently flowing Ribbons – an inspiration
that comes from “somewhere beyond.”
“I’m often surprised myself at what I’m creating,” he
explains. “It’s like there’s a life force flowing through me,
helping me make them. I don’t feel completely responsible…. And
after forty years, I’m still learning. That’s what makes it so fulfilling.”
You can visit Herschler’s website at:
www.elijahdavidherschler.com
or email at edh100@yahoo.com.