Soiree’ on the Savannah

Soiree’ on the Savannah

The Power of Humming in the Dark

by Art work and Essay by Margot A Jurgens

Soiree' on the Savannah by Margot A Jurgens

Where does inspiration come from? I often see images in my mind’s eye. Sometimes they are powerful and fleeting and I race to capture a quick sketch before it fades. Others hang in the background as if waiting for me to slow down and acknowledge their presence. It is an idea that only I can see at first and then I work to make it something others can experience. At that point the project takes on a life of its own. This may seem odd to you but I feel I am in good company. Michelangelo once said, “I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

This giraffe has been waiting patiently in the background of my mind for several weeks. I had a hunch it was there because it needed to be painted. I’ve come to believe that animals have a far greater purpose than to be food on our tables or sport for hunters. I believe each animal was created by a loving and wildly creative God to capture our imagination and at times, to teach us things about ourselves that we might not other wise see.

One of the reasons I believe this to be true is the Bible verse that says, “Go to the ant you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.” Henry David Thoreau had a bit to say about ants as well. “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” I suspect different cultures may look at various animals in different ways and the message or wisdom they might impart may differ from my own experience with that animal. I suspect that is why we need each other so that we can see things from yet another perspective.

I was reading about a Franciscan practice called Respectful Gazing. A quote from the article titled The Seer and the Seen says, “We want to find one particular object, not a whole landscape, but one leaf, one twig, one lizard, and grant it respect. Talk to it. And then, even more daringly, in that state of respect… Let it talk back.”

Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash

I began to acknowledge the giraffe that so patiently waited in my minds eye. The Giraffe Camelo Perdalis, or the Fast Walking Camel Leopard is by far the tallest land animal. In acknowledging the giraffe I spent some time looking at photos of giraffes at Unsplash. The first thing that stood out to me were their beautiful eyes and their long flowing eyelashes. As I looked at a number of pictures I was struck by how much they look like mosaic work. Covered in randomly shaped brown spots it looks almost like they were grouted together with a tan colored grout.

Photo by Mike Setchell on Unsplash

As a mosaic artist they seemed to me, like a lovely mosaic piece that had come to life and could gracefully stroll across the African landscape. I’m captivated by this amazing creature. What gift or message might this giraffe in my mind’s eye have for me? So I dug a little deeper and read some articles about giraffes.

I was under the false impression that Giraffes make no vocal sounds. When I used to sing Old McDonald had a farm with children I would often sub in non farm animals like lions and gorillas. The children always knew all the common sounds. I would throw in a fish or giraffe on occasion and see what creative forms of expression the children might come up for them. Swimming, blowing bubbles, batting of eyelashes and stomping of hoofs but most often silence was the answer.

Theme Park Ride with my Grandma Jurgens

I was trying to recall my earliest zoo memories. I recall trips to the St. Louis Zoo in grade school and in high school. They were always wonderful adventures. I’m sure I must have gone to a zoo before those trips that I can remember. Most likely the Columbus Zoo while visiting my Grandparents. My little brother would have had the best view. He would have been in a back pack looking over my dad’s head. I would have been on my tip toes watching in amazement as creatures from the pages of my beloved books came to life. Much later as an adult, I remember the Columbus zoo and even the lovely small Woodland Park Zoo near Seattle. These later two were enjoyed through the eyes of my own children’s sense of wonder. In each of these visits I truly believed the graceful giraffe to have a lovely long neck but sadly made no sound. How surprised I was to find with researching for this painting that it has been recently discovered that Giraffes actually hum at night. In one article by Gwen Pearson I learned that “ Giraffes have excellent vision, so their primary means of communication is thought to be visual signals during day light hours. As prey animals, it makes sense that they might not want to make loud noises that can attract attention of predators. But when vision is impaired at night, low frequency humming might be a great way to make sure the heard stays together. “

It makes me happy to think of Giraffes humming together at night. I found a couple of recordings of these humming sounds. To me they sound some what like Gregorian chant but much lower. Click here to hear them hum.

What might the message of the Giraffe be to me at this time? “Rise above - you have the ability to see far beyond your present circumstances.” Perhaps they remind me to “Look Up”. Hagar in the desert after being sent away from the family tribe is in a terrible state of grief and fear. But then she looked up and saw a well. Here's a link to Genesis 21. All too often we can get wrapped up in the trauma of the moment. We feel hopeless and can’t even begin to imagine what to do, remember…Look up!

In looking up and perhaps in looking inward, I made some room for my inner artist to play with the piece. What might the giraffe look like in a high neck button up collar and flowing gown. How would a hoofed animal even deal with the buttons? - well, … velcro of course. I realize I am often way too serious and a bit of imaginary play can be a source of strength and inspiration.

Early Stage Painting by Margot Jurgens

I began this painting with blue skies but changed it to sunset because of what I learned about Giraffes humming at night. There are times in our life when we experience the dark night of the soul and the giraffe reminds me to go and hum. Perhaps it is not even my own soul that is experiencing darkness. Giraffes hum together in community. We too must find our herd or our tribe of people and support one another. We don’t even need to have all the answers. The Celtic group that I sing with is going to be singing at the funeral for the husband of one of our group members. Nothing we can do will bring back the love of her life but we can gather and we can sing bringing a bit of love and light to those who are grieving.

I was reminded of a devotional written by one of my favorite writers. Laurie Beth Jones. In her book Jesus in Blue Jeans she writes a short piece called He Did Not Whine - He Hummed. In it she shares a quote from a book by Herbert Benson called the Relaxation Response. She states, “ the Harvard trained physician documents that the act of focusing the mind on a single sound or image brings about a physiological change that is opposite of the fight or flight response. Studies show that the heart rate, respiration, and the brain waves actually slow down, muscles relax and stress related hormones diminish.”

This project is a playful mixed media piece that uses acrylic paints, my own fused and hand nipped glass, glue and grout and a bit of glitter. This project now takes on a life of its own, I hope it will be a reminder to Look up, to realize that sometimes our beliefs need to be updated in light of new discoveries and perspectives. Mostly I hope it is a reminder that when the world seems dark to huddle close to friends and hum. I hope it stirs your sense of childlike wonder and reminds you of your own encounters with Giraffes at the zoo or perhaps if you are very lucky you have memories of seeing them in the wild.

Soiree’ on the Savannah is the title I am giving this project. I imagine my giraffe friend gathering up some tasty treats to bring to that night’s Soiree’ where she will hum her favorite notes along with her friends. Together they will find peace and comfort and safety in numbers. I’m convinced that inspiration is a gift to be shared.

Click Here: or copy the link below if you enjoyed this piece and would like to support my art and writing. The link to my Ko-fi page. https://ko-fi.com/simplymargot