Soluble Stories: A Subtle Alchemy

“You might want to reach out and disturb a pile of pigment, for example, first staining your fingers with it, then staining the world.”

Maggie Nelson

Before the pigment can stain my fingers, I must be first willing to approach it. My advance is cautious as pigment is nearly insoluble in water. There is pain in diving beneath the surface, shining light on the shadows, and changing…