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(images: Golden Orb Weaver web, sketch of web)
A
Golden Orb Weaver spider built her web beside the sliding glass door
next to the main easel in my studio. It was unsettling to be that close
to such a large spider at first (4" if you include the legs) but now
it's a joy to watch her (and it didn't hurt that she took care of the
wasp problem that our bug guy couldn't solve). When her food supply
dwindled, she moved over a few feet to be in full sun where she's faring
much better. She rebuilds parts of her web every day. When it rains she
hangs onto her web by two back feet (!) and swings in the breeze
letting the drops (fierce in this week's storms) roll right down her
back. When the storm is over she is still for a while and then goes back
to work, knitting with her back legs something no human sculptor could
reproduce in its delicacy, strength, and breathtaking geometry. As I
struggle to find balance in my current circumstances, I find comfort in
her presence. I like her unflagging persistence, the way she rides out
storms day after day after day, and the constant dismantling and
reworking of her web. I seem to be getting spiritual instruction from my
tiny monstrous muse.
