Myth / Surreal

I’ve always suspected there is more to things than what we see or know. So it seemed a natural move from speculative sf and fantasy art to investigating the human spirit in terms of philosophy and mythology. Here are some examples from that period.

Aspect (acrylic)

The cold, rugged Cascade Mountains form the setting for this painting. A mask suggests an identity apart from the wearer. This mask appears discarded, its backside showing no more about its true owner than the front. It may represent the emergence of the true self or its absence.

Spirit Warrior I (acrylic)

For a short time I belonged to a group of artists called the Dharmic Engineers whose mission was to investigate the confluence of Eastern and Western philosophies. My good friend, Rob Schouten, one of the original members of the group, posed for this piece I painted to show the difficulty and distractions of meditation.

Ruby Forest (gouache)

As the Universe gets larger it also gets smaller. This painting, based on a black and white photomicrograph of a ruby crystal, is a venture into minutia. Here and in other paintings I used reflective spheres to indicate human consciousness as it reflects all around it but has no substance of its own.

The Word (acrylic)

The arrival of the space age was epic. Other worlds were open to our eyes and understanding. It was awe-inspiring and as an artist I wanted to find ways to address this new age. From the mouth on the mountain issue moons of other worlds, frontiers our predecessors could not have dreamed of.

View From The Island (prisma pencil and gouache)

Here again are the reflective spheres indicating the presence of awareness. This particular piece and nine others like it were made after someone told me I couldn’t mix black and white with color.