From Joe Cajero: This piece was created to honor the “Relationship”, the opportunity to discover and nourish a bond with another person. Before beginning the material work, I meditated on how different spiritual and physical elements converge and interact within a fulfilling loving relationship, and how I might represent these ideas in the symbolic language of sculpture.

I began to see the piece in my mind as a story with movement and drama, but a story without an ending. Two energies are born into physical life. Separate and unaware of each other, they begin their particular journeys, discovering the material and the spiritual world around them, learning and preparing themselves through their diverse experiences. This time before the opportunity of a relationship presents itself is just as important as the time in which the relationship eventually exists, for if one or both of the individuals are unprepared for the experience, the relationship may not fully manifest.

When the opportunity does present itself, the life path of the individual lives intersect, and here is, to me, a mystical event. The two lives still exist as separate beings, but at the point where they intersect in time and space, they become a third thing, another entity, a relationship. The relationship continues even as the individual lives continue, so that where there were two, now there are three.

The sculpture is two-sided, meaning to represent the physical world on one side and the spiritual on the other. This duality is most specifically noted in the headdresses of the two figures. The night sky, full of stars, represents that part of the universe which is untouchable except through the spirit. The butterflies (feminine) and the dragonflies (masculine) both experience a metamorphosis in life. They represent the physical world, the earth on which we live. The moon is another symbol of femininity, while the sun represents masculinity.

On the faces of the figures are altars, one on top of another, to signify the undiscovered levels of spirituality, knowledge and wisdom that may be accessed through life experience as well as prayer and contemplation. On the bodies are more altars, steps representing life?s progression, often uneven. Along life?s way, we receive Blessings, which are indicated by clouds above some of the altar steps. The recessed areas on the bodies represent the non-physical world, where spirits reside and guidance may be received. The circles are souls waiting to be made manifest. The different colors symbolize the choosing of individual creative paths of remembrance of who we really are. The sizes of the circles indicate various levels of awareness each soul has chosen to experience life, while the parallel lines are ancient symbols of masculinity.

The colors, blending into one another, were chosen for their suggestion of intimacy, of Mother-earth and Father-sky, the rising and setting of the Sun, implying the warmth of love as we engage in our relationships and the Eternal Journey.

Features & Measurements

• Medium: Cast Bronze with Patina
• Dimensions: Approx. 34.5” H × 25” W × 11” D
• Mounted on a solid wood base with swivel
• Edition: Foundry Proof – outside the edition of 15
• A Foundry Proof is an extremely limited casting reserved for the artist and foundry, prized by collectors for its rarity and direct connection to the artist’s creative process.
• Made in Prescott Valley, AZ, USA
• Weight: Approx. 75 lbs