Instinct
 Antique schoolhouse window, monofilament, 24K gold leaf



Have you ever observed a spider weaving a web? One afternoon a gorgeous 2-inch spider with a spectacular  golden brown body created a massive web outside my dining room window. It was intriguing to have the opportunity to get a front row center view of this phenomenal creature at work. It spun non-stop, without skipping a beat for a few hours. Over the next few days, the spider walked back and forth checking for food until the web disintegrated -- then it simply walked away. No ounce of remorse that the great work of art was destroyed.
The sunset glistened in the background creating a breathtaking work of art for me to enjoy for a fleeting moment. How can something that is purely functional be so beautiful, complex and delicate? I did some research and discovered that spiders use seven different types of silk to spin their webs, each type different in thickness, stickiness and strength. They instinctively know the optimal location to build their webs bearing in mind factors such as wind and predators.
I wanted to weave my web using the same steps a spider would. Let's just say mine took a bit longer than a few hours.