I can’t even remember what it was I was searching for on the internet–probably vintage patterns or something of the sort—when I came across this photo. It was on the website for Harlick Skating Boots. It seems like a pretty straight forward site for ordering your skates but it has a gallery of some great photographs of skaters throughout the years who have used Harlick’s boots. Most of the photos have some background info on who the skaters are and where they came from. But this one is blank. An unknown skater who simply signed her photo “Affectionately, Willie.”

There are so many reasons I love this photo. First and foremost, a girl named “Willie.” Her name was probably Wilhelmina, Wilfred, or Wilona. Something too stodgy for her carefree spirit. Cutting it and her skirt length short, she is free to be who she feels she is and not the calligraphied label on her birth certificate. Second, the photographer has captured her forever in a moment of pure euphoria, somewhere between crisp focus and indefinite movement. Her spine curves back to display her joyful smile and rosy cheeks. And third, the void of architectural reference tilts the ice almost completely vertical as if it is a chalk board half scribbled on and half ready to be scribbled.

This photograph not only greets me on my nightstand each morning, reminding me to be more carefree and enjoy life, but it also gave me the proper mood to explore in my mixed media work Dear Mr. Rohrschach. I wanted to explore the what I assumed would be a cathartic and stress-relieving exercise of creating the infamous Rohrschach inkblot tests. Sure, the idea is that looking at the abstract inkblots makes you say things that may or may not give insight to the therapist psycho-analyzing you. But Dr. Rohrschach himself must have seen things in each blot himself and chose them for his test. The dance hopefully succeeds in capturing both the reverie of Dr. Rohrscach and the ecstasy of this unknown skater.

So to you Willie, whoever you are, I am affectionately yours.

Dear Mr. Rorschach (live performance)