Memory and the Devil

• D.E. Bentley

Memory is a wild and fickle thing. This seems especially true when I travel. Although time away can offer opportunities for reflection, the currents that carry one between places can cloud and blur experiences. As such, I deliberately seek out and attempt to hold on to fragments for later retrieval, reflection, and inspiration: a special thought or feeling, or, less often, an object. One such object that I could not leave behind was acquired early in our recent trip to New Mexico, at the Bear Mountain Lodge in Silver City.

“Summer Home” Acrylic on Panel by Todd Shelby https://www.animaliamade.com/

I did not see it, the small painting until minutes before we checked out, after a delightful two days exploring around Silver City that included a visit to the Gila Cliff Dwellings and a 2.5-hour horseback ride through the Arenas Valley. It was right there, to the left of the large mural in the dining room. At first, I only saw the flowers; then I saw the devil.

A part of travel is returning home to what you left behind, a moment frozen in time. Before I left, I had just completed carving the head of a devil puppet. Why a devil? I have no idea, but the connection between my art and the painting made it a must have, even if it meant carrying it for the remainder of the trip.

I reflect from time to time on a quote by Brian Eno, from Daniel Lanois’ Chest of Drawers LP:

“I remember buying a, a little Indian, sort of, chest of drawers once. And I was so intrigued by it, and the colour of it, and I thought, this, if I let it be, could be the beginning of a new life for me.”

I love that, the unlimited potential of some small find on our lives. Each time I look at the painting I see some previously unnoticed detail; it takes me places and will guide my devil as it continues to emerge from the wood and come alive.