An Introduction to Portals
In search of obvious points of travel through time and space.
I introduced the topic of “Portals” in my work in my last post of the same name:
As a part of this series, I’m offering a few free portals to my paying subscribers. You can find the details for claiming your art and/or postcards at the end of this note.
Because the forest is truly my “happy place”, I will begin this introduction to my portal-themed art with this tree-filled park, which we found while traveling in Zadar, Croatia. The park acted as a gateway between our lodging and the downtown historic district, with centuries-old walls guarding the perimeter.
Our first tour of this park was via a morning run, and I followed in the footsteps of one of my traveling companions (hiding within the stitched portal) as I approached this little glen. It was in such stark contrast to the city and sea all around that I felt compelled to stop and capture the moment with my phone.
The bare path narrowing through arched trees provided an easy access point to imagining a distorted reality waiting for me just ahead - that, and the fact that I wasn’t wearing my glasses during the run (a habit I have since abandoned after my second bad trail run fall this summer). Will running with glasses make portal access harder? I suspect I’ll adjust.
When we (my husband and I) travel, we tend to walk several miles a day (in addition to whatever run training schedule we’re trying to keep up). For our recent two-week trip to Greece and Croatia, we averaged around ten miles/day. Needless to say, we find a plethora of interesting paths, streets, scenic points, buildings, museums, doors, windows, structures, people, food, and… cats.
My husband has an uncanny knack for finding street cats wherever we go, although, admittedly, it wasn’t too hard on this trip. The grumpy white cat, however, was a shop kitty who was definitely not allowed to roam the streets. (We know this after watching the shopkeeper chase the kitty down an aisle multiple times while we were seated nearby having lunch.)
Probably my first unintentional introduction to what I would now consider “portal art” was a series of bicycles and doors photographed by Richard Varney. The vivid colors and compositional whimsy of the places he traveled were perfect little captures of a moment in time - peaceful, beautiful, and touched with intrigue. His work was from a pre-digital era, and sadly, is not easy to find today, although it is reminiscent of the many colorful door travel photos that can now easily be found online, such as this one by Olga Bi.
At an art fair in the early ‘90s, I purchased a Varney photograph of a bicycle with a basket of flowers in front of a turquoise door. Little did I know (as the IT manager-in-training I was then), I would end up showing my own work at some of those very same fairs several years later, after also falling in love with the amazing pastel drawings of his son and fellow festival artist, Brett Varney. (You should definitely check out his work, which showcases his love of nature, geology, and color!)
Back then, I never thought I would be an artist, let alone have the opportunity to travel to all the places I’ve been able to go since. My only hope at that time was to bring those beautiful and intriguing places into my home through art.
Now, with the perspective of a lifetime later, I have found my amateur photography pursuits to be a salve, both in their ability to ground me in a moment and in their ability to bring those moments home with me - a little time capsule to hold close to me even when I’m many miles away.
Windows, doors, archways, and secluded trails all offer an easy opportunity for my imagination to take over. What lies beyond the threshold is a mystery. Crossing that divide may take me anywhere - a passageway to other worlds.
It is with this fascination and original naiveté that I have chosen to share these captured moments, intentionally leaning into the mystery I perceive by adding similarly stitched colors into the featured portal. As such, I invite the viewer to share this portal view with me to ponder what may be on the other side.
I look forward to sharing more of these portals with you as I continue to process the images from my latest and past travels and experiences, including the images I captured for last summer’s installation, “Of the Mind”, which include a more elusive perspective of a time portal being accessed by a visionary being.
Reflecting on the images I have captured since 2020, when I first devoted myself to daily walks embracing little joys, I look forward to the wide range of portals I may discover and the stories they may tell - stories which I plan to include in a book of these photographic inspirations.
Until then, I hope you enjoy this continuing series of “Portal” posts on
- and be sure to upgrade to paid if you would like to receive complimentary corresponding art cards and/or postcards!~ Jennifer
The “Portal” art pieces shown above are available in my Studio Store, on sale for a limited time.
https://www.jenniferlommers.com/store/featured
A note for paid subscribers: To receive this week’s free portal art or postcard set…
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