To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.
–Joseph Conrad
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In the next week or so I will be featuring several of the new pieces that will be part of my show, Layers, which opens next Friday, July 25th, at the West End Gallery. This painting is titled Glimpse and Aspiration and is 24″ by 48″ on birch panel. It has been a favorite from the moment that it began to take on its own life, midway through the time I was painting it. Its size gives it a weightiness that fits well with the mood and glow of the painting. I find myself looking at it quite often in the studio with a great deal of internal satisfaction at the completeness of it. It just does something for me.
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I see the Red Tree here as a symbol of the aspiration for a life of purpose and meaning, the desire for one’s own place in the world. It is not always a clearly defined objective, as Conrad points out in the quote at the top. Our life’s path winds through other places and lives but once in a great while there is clarity and we fleetingly see that thing which we believe to be our purpose. Our aspiration. Just glimpsing it and having it take a tangible form in our mind is fortifying, making our footsteps lighter and our path even more defined.
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It is something which we can hold in our minds to guide and inspire us on the path ahead.
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There’s something in this idea that fills this piece, making it a very comforting piece for myself. I am going to very much miss this painting in my studio when it has went out on its own. But it has done what it must for me and is destined to hopefully do the same for someone else.
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Sending it out into the world is simply part of my purpose, my aspiration. At least that is how it appeared to me in my brief glimpse.
Redtree Times 