Power of handwriting

Paul's number sequences pasted onto a boat form

 When we write, we leave a mark and the kind of mark is dependent on the personality of the writer. There is a flow of ink that is a beautiful play between the inker and the paper's surface. Numbers work the same way as letters. They are very personal and full of style. My father had a wonderful way with numbers and because I loved the way he wrote them, this gave me the genesis for Spirit Boats.
Today is my father Paul's birthday. He would be 96 but has been gone for nearly 10 years. I still miss him terribly. We were very close. My entire body of work with Spirit Boats is dedicated to him.
My inheritance from Paul turned out to be a surprise for me for my father left this world with next to nothing. The thing that was the most significant of the few of his belongings were his notes because they clearly represented his life in a physical way.  He lived in a care facility and did not have many worldly belongings since he had to pare down to minimal when he moved into this home.
He loved two things deeply- Chinese Chess and Math. He played chess whenever he could and made heaps of math notations to "keep his sanity". The ironic thing is that his mother also did the same thing with multiplication tables and for the same reason as her dementia set in.
Paul was going blind from macular degeneration and his notations were quirky and distinctive. He used a sharpie marker for good contrast. An older person's writing is so expressive and endearing. I loved these papers for they came from Paul's hand. 
When we had to clear out his room, in haste, I nearly threw out these stacks of papers.  But something told me not to. I filled my suitcase with them and a few of his shirts, realizing that this was my true inheritance.
As the saying goes- "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade"- that is what I did with the papers. I used them in my art, collaged into my paintings and incorporated into sculpture to keep Paul's spirit alive.

Add caption