Strange Gods

Strange Gods

"Strange Gods" - oil on clayboard panel, 14 x 18 inches (this item is sold unframed)  Click on the image to purchase.

That I am I.
That my soul is a dark forest.
That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest.
That gods, strange gods, come forth from the forest into the clearing of my known self, and then go back.
That I must have the courage to let them come and go.
 -  D.H. LAWRENCE

​Strange gods come forth from the forest, the ocean, the prairie, the pond, the paint.  

The visuals conjured by Lawrence's words are powerful to me.  I've been spending a lot of time in the little clearing of my known self, reconciling with and learning to accept the strange gods that come and go.

​And one might think I am far too old to be wrestling with all of that.

Except that to stop investigating the clearing and the dark forest around it would be to stop - well, everything.  Learning, growing, expanding, understanding, flowing.  Certainly, creating would be come something less.

This piece is inspired from an outrageously beautiful sunset on the Oregon coast, a place where the odd gods are seemingly easier to understand.

---

​Blogger and blog will be on an adventure for the remainder of the month, recharging and refilling the reservoir of inspiration.  Look for a bevy of new work in June, the return of the monthly Reader Giveaway, and an announcement of one stellar show coming this summer!