The Mystery Of Power, Nature, And Magic
Thumbnails Of The Paintings On This Page
Sapient Circus
Clowns have a sinister quality, and the people in the painting are meant to convey that feeling. The viewer is being asked to join the group. The individual who commissioned the painting asked for a clown to be the focal point.
This picture of this self-portrait was taken before the frame was completed. When finished, the frame matches the color of the wood counter in the painting.
Amaryllis
Detail Of Frame
Detail Of Painting
About The Painting
The painting, Amaryllis, began as a one-minute gesture drawing. Adding my grandmother’s flower-patterned crochet doilies to the canvas inspired the painting’s theme. Amaryllis represents determination, beauty, and love in Greek mythology, supporting the style of the picture. In the 19th century, the flower’s common name was “Naked Lady,” as the flowers appear after the foliage has died and before the new leaves arrive in the spring. As the image took on a life of its own, it gave the theme for the frame.
The amaryllis grows naturally in South Africa in the Western Cape. All plants have developed for specific climates. Earth has taken billions of years to create the variety and mix. However, there is and always has been change. The Earth and its mantle of life are constantly in flux.
The Frame
The frame, made from parts of a walnut table, was inspired by the Victorian feel of the painting. Additionally, floral pictures from seed catalogs and seed packets were decoupaged to cover any new wood used for framing.
Freyia The Seer
Detail Of The Painting
Detail Of The Frame
About the Painting
This painting used the theme of gambling and the image of a woman as the Norse goddess Freyia. The artwork was created on torn canvas with lace for the background, using oil paint and glitter. It symbolizes that we can rise and live among the stars even when torn and dismembered. Freyia is associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr, a form of magic that shapes the future. Gambling represents the chances of success in life. She was a symbol of prophetic dreams and inexplicable sightings. I believe that we are more than matter and energy. It also embodies my challenging experiences, such as prophetic dreams and sightings that seem extraterrestrial or from another time or place. Each of us has a unique role. We must strive to overcome our weaknesses and failings and fulfill this role.
My Dreams
My first experiences with prophetic dreams occurred just after I had just been accepted to Berkley’s MBA program. The dream had images of a city with parts of buildings gently falling to the ground. I thought of earthquakes in San Fransisco. At the time, I was working to save money for graduate school; in my spare time, I took courses toward a fine arts degree, fulfilling my desire to paint and draw. I became passionate about drawing and art. I took the dream as a message that I should not go to California. It also helped to reinforce my feeling that I did not want to take another business course in quantitative methods, another statistics course, or any more case studies. I decided to study architecture. Still sidestepping fine arts, and enrolled in the University of British Columbia graduate program.
When I returned to Montreal, I opened a salvage business called Architectural Antiques. I started the company by purchasing a mansion that was going to be demolished by the museum. Weeks later, I bought a few blocks of Victorian mansions from McGill University. I was removing a cornice from a house on the top of University Street when I realized that the cornice, the view of University Street, and the truck I had just bought were in the dream; even the truck’s detailing was gold. The dream truck did not have the business’s name, just a gold band.
My next dream while working in Montreal was to move south and be invited to a party I did not attend.
I also was told I would get a sign when I should move.
This dream became a reality in two steps that were years apart. The first was in Montreal when I sold Architectural Antiques and moved to Florida. The second dream was after leaving Florida and moving to Nova Scotia. I was invited to a party back in Florida.
I had told my wife about the dreams when they happened. I had someone else see the predicted events unfold, including details of paint colors and the second-story large screened room. I knew the path I needed to take and knew it would be a smooth transition to sell my business and move back to Florida. It had been in the dream years before.
I painted Freyia to recall those dreams and the path they confirmed. I could not understand what they meant when they occurred, but I knew they differed from most of my dreams.
My experiences have led me to believe there is more to the universe than matter and energy. We are not mere pawns in life; we can shape our destinies. We can choose to succeed or fail, and this power of choice makes life truly meaningful.
Hildegard's Migraine
Hildegard’s Migraine ,24″x24″ plus frame. Oil and mixed media on canvas over wood
This painting developed from a gesture drawing resembling a woman with a splitting migraine. It was painted in oil on a linen-covered board with lace and glitter.
The Frame
The decoupage on the frame, made from paper depicting medieval paintings of saints and antiqued, gave the painting a sense of age and depth.
Hildegard's History
Hildegard von Bingen took life in my painting. It was her genius in writing music and drawing, plus the fact that she had migraines and drew the images she saw in her mind.
Hildegard, born in the 11th century, did drawings of her visions, and she believed these visions were her direct communication with God. This action was taboo. Only a pope could have the privilege of communicating directly with God. However, the Pope overlooked her “transgression” because her purity and skills were well known..
Hildegard's Skills
She composed music that is still played today and drew and painted exceptionally well. Her painting of the Universal Man predates Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man by more than 300 years. She also built two convents at a time when women had little power in the church. She influenced the Pope to change the practice of selling dispensations. A feat few people ever accomplished. She also built two convents, developed a musical notation method, and wrote music that can still be heard today.
Hildegard’s drawings predate Leoardo’ by 300 years
Trees That Rain
Florida winters are dry. Months without significant rain are expected. Yet nights can be foggy and misty. It was this type of evening I thought I heard rain the first foggy night I was in my studio. I stepped outside to see the rain. But it was not raining. The sound came from the tall Slash pines (Pinus Elliottii) dripping water from their needles. This pine has long needles that bend down toward the earth. The mist was condensing on the needles and dripping to the ground.
The pines get this water by sending their roots to the soil’s surface. These roots grow into the leaf litter and catch these drops before the water evaporates. The trees self-water.
As a side note, a tree from Australia is called an Australian pine in the U.S. It is not a pine, but a Casuarina equisetifolia. This tree, with its similar long needles and root structures, does very well in Florida, showcasing the diverse range of tree species that thrive in this unique ecosystem.
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