Conquest is one of those words that have grand connotations, often thought of it in terms of strength and domination, of empires and battles between nations and ideologies.But it can have a much smaller, more personal meaning as well, one where it is all about overcoming those things that keep us from becoming the person we ourselves as being.
Fear, for instance.
And that’s the meaning I see for myself in this new 24″ by 30″ painting, Conquest, part of my June show at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria.
It feels as though the Red Tree is in a moment of personal conquest, perhaps even epiphany. It has overcome the struggles of the journey, symbolized by the path and fallen tree as well as the worked rows of the field, to reach a point where it can reflect back on it all, seeing in the clear bright light the realization of earlier, distant hopes.
These moments of conquest may not appear as epic moments for all to see. Personally, the times when I have most felt this feeling have not been grand moments of statement at all. There are few of those moments in most lives. Rather, they are often small and personal- a quiet and sudden recognition that I am at some point that seemed out of reach earlier in the journey.
In that moment, there is instant reflection on what led to this point. The earlier fears that seemed like shackles now appear as harmless boogeymen, mere figments of imagination hidden in the dark. But in the bright light the darkness recedes, revealing new horizons to move toward.
One person’s triumph over their fears is perhaps as large a conquest as that of any empire.
Redtree Times 