“Manila Bay: The Burning Ship—To What Have You Fully Committed?”
Feb 6 – May 18, 2023 Marin Civic Center Galleries, San Rafael
My Philippine home was blessed with a panoramic view of Manila Bay and I spent hours admiring the spectacular sunsets. One day, I espied a mythical sight—a burning ship! I grabbed my camera and snapped this image, showing at the Marin Civic Center exhibition, Friendly Tides.
To “burn ships” is a metaphor for fully committing to a forward action by intentionally cutting off any escape routes. The figure of speech purportedly came from Hernan Cortes’ Spanish conquest (boo, hiss) of the Aztec empire; arriving in 1519 and seeing he was badly outnumbered, Cortes ordered the burning of his ships to send a clear message to his men—no turning back. Do or die. What ships have you burned—to what have you fully committed? Tell me!