What path are we all on? What kind of world would we like to leave to future generations? What type of harvest would we like to gather that would serve us all?
These are some of the many existential questions I’ve been asking myself when the world seemed to stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This condition caused us to pause in the midst of a hectic existence and allowed nature to breathe for a change.
Breathing…it’s all about breathing…or the difficulty of breathing…Lots of thoughts and emotions were skyrocketing. Our collective actions not only have been affecting us, but ultimately compromised our relationship with our beautiful planet and every single living organism that forms part of this amazing network.
This artwork was the germ of the following series Liminality. I had the urge to represent visually what I was experiencing internally. Nature has been screaming in different ways… and now it’s shaking us to once and for all take care of the only home we have, the LUNGS that the environment is gifting us on a daily basis to be able to LIVE.
I started painting in a circular motion, in broad strokes bringing the Earth and its trees upside down, surrounded by colours representing the hopeful twilight of a period of incongruencies, numbness and blindness. I wanted to represent the roar of nature, a loud wakeup call to humanity. I asked myself, what I would like to see happening in this liminal time-space, and I came up with the word “awareness” followed by “action”.
In the circle of life, we are constantly facing twilight followed by dawn, winter followed by spring, death and rebirth. From the roots of those upside-down trees washed and cleansed by new currents, I painted the resurgence of new trees, growing tall and flourishing, and representing new beginnings on the top light area of the painting.
Reflecting on this piece, I feel that I was depicting – with no conscious intention – a symbolic biblical representation of the four living creatures in the Book of Revelation. I can see the figure of an ox on the left side coming out of the central area, the colour blue crossing the artwork diagonally like the wings of a large eagle, the power of nature as the roar of a lion, and the trees representing humankind.
I am not sure if my reaction to the artwork at this moment is an accurate interpretation of what I meant to do unconsciously. In all likelihood, those symbolic representations are part of the inward, mindful process that happens when one is creating and allowing the unconscious mind to express itself. It’s clear to me that once the message is out there, the reaction of each viewer will be personal.
What I can consciously say is that I wanted to represent all of us breathing together in harmony with all other living beings. The beginning of a new era, all of us grasping and taking ownership of the concept of “oneness”. We are all interconnected. We all need each other. We are all part of the same system. There is so much beauty out there…and we can definitely create more.
I invite you to write your own reflections of my work, your reaction to it. Artists are messengers. I’m interested in establishing a dialogue with the viewer, so it becomes a more participatory experience.
New Beginnings is available as an original artwork and as a print.
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