Painting during the Pandemic
The sun rising between two mountains, transformed into a crowning infant, a woman giving birth on stoned figures, with two doulas overlooking. It is a representation of the current global climate, the crowning of new life, a new way of being.
The next painting is an intersection of the current Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and the COVID19 pandemic. It brings awareness to the point of connection, the breath as prana, as life force. Through this image, I present and express what feels like a collective call for healing and transformation of the heart space.
The image is of a human heart, enclosed within a green vail that forms lungs, representing the heart chakra. The heart is enclosed within a circle, the symbol of Self, while also forming an ouroboros, the alchemical symbol that represents the cycles of death and rebirth. The circle, black in color, represents the nigredo, the alchemical phase of petrification, death, and descent into the underworld (Jung, 1959/1990). Surrounding the circle is colors that divide the frame horizontally. The lower world is monochromatic, black and white blending into gray-forming standing figures representing the rise to activism in response to Gorge Floyd’s murder and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. As well as an abstract depiction of the rising movements that bring awareness to the corruption of the current system.
The second layer, mostly shades of red and white form city buildings, fire rising and anger emitted into what begins to be engulfed and dissipate when it touches the rich black sphere. The third layer is different hues of spiraling blues, more fluid strokes that emerge from the crown, the source of inspiration and spirit. Additionally, within the green-colored lungs are two figures, crown to crown, connected by the heart, symbolizing the importance of connection and unity. Simultaneously, the heart and lungs form a tree that has luminescent roots.
