Symbols In Art

I'm not a connaisseur of symbolism, though it shows up in my work unexpectedly and with great amusement. It's interesting to discover symbols as I spontaneously draw them without a preconceived idea.

Pretty in Pink

I love naming the art – it's fun – especially the names like Pretty In Pink, which means nothing in particular, except that it's funny.

The symbols in my work seem to sometimes meander into the religious side of life. To the left of the painting there is the cross framed by the circle of life – to the right there is the bonhomme-stick figure with a jolly round face wearing a big hat, seemingly representing a head of church, also known as the middle man. The sense I have with this painting is that it's best to not take things too seriously, lighten up, wear pink, have fun, be our own delegates and go straight to god.

Midnight Star

The hexagram, also known as the “Star of David” is an archetypal symbol for the sacred union of the feminine and masculine principles. Shaped by the intertwining of the triangles (male “blade” and the feminine “chalice”) it represents the “yin-yan” perfect union. In the Jewish Kabala the hexagram represents a man and women in intimate embrace, and in India this symbol represents the dance of Shiva and Shakti. The six pointed star connecting the male and female triangles signifies complete balance.

In this painting the “chalice-triangle” is in the background above the shape of a wing, drawn in graphite it denotes a sense of quite surrender, grounded at the base of the wing and flowing towards the tip of the wing. The “blade-triangle” is overtop wrapped by the circle of infinity, scraped into the plaster it is strongly defined, yet if you imagine this symbol on its own it loses it's strength. This loosely framed triangle is anchored by the subtle quality of the shadow triangle and this feminine symbol is made visible by the masculine symbol.

Midnight Star expresses a love for the dance of the light and dark, day and night, spirit and matter; opposite elements that are part of the oneness of all life.

Yellow Submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, la, da, la, la, da, di.

The fish can symbolize movement, fluidity, and the mystery of the underworld, living a separate existence from our own above water. Yet the fish is also part of its larger host; the ocean and all other water life – and part of our lives.

The fish is hooked, but aren't we all hooked into what I believe is the mass conscious responsibility to one another and to ourselves. Are we ever really separate?