I drew about 70 pen and ink figure drawings similar to ones I had done several years ago as prototypes for a large scale bas-relief clay mural pieces where I used figures in dance postures to symbolize intellectual ideas. The piece was headed for a school setting. The ideas were different but as I searched for how to illustrate Body Wisdom I fell back to this idea of how to use figures in motion to convey the abstract concepts Dr. Gerald Senogles wrote about.
We ended up using about 30 or so of my figure drawings plus a seascape painting for the cover, and a charcoal seascape drawing on an interior page. The most difficult part of the process proved to be giving up my view of what the drawings symbolized. It seems obvious that the same drawing can symbolize many things depending on the individual looking at but somehow I was surprised when after 36 years of marriage we had such different responses to work through. Our general rule for all the many negotiations in life is that we must agree before we proceed, and we generally yield to the one who feels most strongly. We added that to the idea that Body Wisdom is the product of Jerry's intellect, and hard work so from the beginning he had absolute veto. That said our working partnerships have always required that we each value and listen to what the other has to say.
He worked very hard over a period of 20 years to put into words the way he had learned to see, and treat the health problems presented in his family practice clinic. Patients of all ages and shapes with a wide range of problems appeared over years, arriving at his door usually because they had tried many things without success. Teaching his patients to understand what he was doing was the original motivation for writing therefore it is written for people with a wide range of interest and comprehension of the body they live in. The view that all patients benefit from understanding the systems that determine their good health is part of a concept that with information you can make better decisions and contribute to your own healthcare.
Go to www.medfordacupunctureclinic.com for more information about the book and to purchase. Return here for a look at the images in the book.
Happy Holidays to all - Katy