The Aphorism Project

Warp and Weft

"Don't marry him if you can help it, but if you must, God bless you!"  That was the best advice we received before we were married and we have sometimes passed it along.

Friends were concerned about the conspicuous differences in racial and cultural background.  What they did not know was that those differences paled beside the contrasts in our beings.  Charles has sensory antennae which see details and images not visible to Bettie.  Bettie makes meaning out of cloth not visible to anyone else at all!

Our adventure has been exciting and full of rewards we never imagined as well as those problems which had been pointed out to us with some care.  As a gift to our children we would like to depict some of those discoveries.  Charles has painted the pictures.  Bettie penned the words.  Usually the inscription on the painting is a translation of the English words, but sometimes the painting was inscribed before we decided it was right for this collaboration.

We would like to show that different spices can surprise and delight more often than compete because we know you wondered.

                       Charles and Bettie Chu

Imperfection - 1989 Imperfection does not make me less beautiful.	Praying Mantis - Waiting can be a gift of free time or it can be misery. I decide.
Morning Glory - 1989 Every morning begins a day that is wholly fresh and unpredictable.	Lotus - 1989 Nourishment for me may be muck for others.
Chickadee - 1989 You think my house is untidy. I think it is just right.	Spider Web - 1989 What is perfect for one of us may be a nuisance for another.
Birches - 1989 Birdsong is everywhere, but I see no bird. Faith is the evidence.	Thanking the Fish We Eat - 1989 If I thank the fish I eat, My spirit, as well as my body, Will be nourished.
In the White Mountains - 1989 The truth is very durable. Is it our perception that is fragile.	Strawberries - 1989 I have lost the taste of many strawberries because I was absent when they were in my mouth.
Purple Vetch - 1989 Many feet and wheels have passed, but few have noticed this beauty.	Owl - 1989 To some the owl represents death. To others, wisdom. These imaginings do not concern the owl.

The aphorisms paintings are not for sale.  However, you can purchase beautiful reproductions of the Aphorisms with these note cards.