This is a new painting, a 20″ by 24″ canvas, that I call Guiding Lights. I showed the image yesterday on my Facebook page but didn’t have a chance to write much about it. The title come from the the triangulated trio of elements that dominate this piece’s center– the lighthouse, the sun and the Red Tree. Each represents the forms of guidance available to us as we navigate through life.
The lighthouse symbolizes how others move us along. Mentors, teachers, family and friends who try to shed light on our path so that we may stay safe and keep us from the dangers that lie ahead.
The sun represents the spiritual here, the guidance that many seek from their belief in a greater, omnipresent power.
The Red Tree in this painting is a symbol for the instinctual, inborn guidance that we all possess to some degree. It is our conscience, our intuition, our moral compass– each weighing our every move forward.
There is a path that tees near the bottom of this scene, in one direction heading right back into the greater mass of red-roofed houses and the other heading out path edge of the houses where it becomes less crowded. The path is isolated with only the guides I mentioned above along for the journey. This reminds me of something that I read a while ago, although I can’t exactly remember where it was or who wrote it at this early hour. It was someone writing specifically about artists although I feel it applies to any endeavor.
The author wrote that in the development of an artist there comes a point where in order to reach their fullest potential, to find that singular voice, an artist has to be brave enough to move beyond their friends and peers. They must leave them behind and move on alone. It’s a vital step but a difficult one that most are not willing to take, if they ever even realize there is a choice to be made.
I think that’s what I see in this piece– the journey for a personal vision and growth.
Redtree Times 