The Witness

The Witness

"The Witness" - oil on cradled wood panel, 12 x 24 x 1.5 inches.  Ready to hang.  Available here, at Artfinder and at Bluethumb.

Through our eyes, 
the universe is perceiving itself. 
Through our ears, 
the universe is listening to its harmonies. 
We are the witnesses through which 
the universe becomes conscious of its glory, 
of its magnificence. - ALAN WATTS

This piece is the final culmination of a roundabout kind of journey.

It began with a collector's suggestion - "paint the Lola version of Leda and the Swan" (a daunting task, but I am always up for a challenge).  The suggestion prompted a visual exploration of the many ways this myth has been represented.   And another exploration of the myth itself, the controversy surrounding it and the ways its original meaning has often been softened and blurred from an act of assault to one of seduction.  And then a lot of mulling over how to Lola-fy this tangled subject (both visual subject and story subject).

Ultimately, as I attempt to do in my own life, I incorporated the event into the subject's own person and looked for the strength and resiliency (and, in the case of wings, freedom) that may come from having faced something and lived a life beyond it.

The Watts quote landed after the painting was completed, and gave me a fresh view of the piece independent of Leda's mythology.  She is transformed.  

​And once again the process of creating leaves me with goosebumps and gladness. :)

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​Congratulations to Michaela and Natalee!  Wonder Mike chose your names at random as winners of the November Reader Giveaway!  Email your mailing address to t[email protected] and your prizes will be on the way!  Woot!

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