Idyllium— At the Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA
There was almost a fairy quality to this place, he thought. The far look and the clear air and the feeling of detachment that touched almost on greatness of the spirit. As if this were a special place, one of those special places that each man must seek out for himself, and count himself as lucky if he ever found it, for there were those who sought and never found it. And worst of all, there were even those who never hunted for it.
― Clifford D. Simak, Way Station
I needed to write this morning but knew it had to be something to take me away from the despair and anger that has accompanied the last couple of days here in this country.
Something to ease the mind, sooth the soul.
I chose to focus on the new painting shown here, a 24″ by 12″ canvas that is included in my solo show that opens next week at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria.
I call it Idyllium.
The rolling landscape creates multiple layers that lead my eye toward the setting — or is it rising?– sun whose light creates a swirling effect of color in the sky. I feel pulled into this piece by its depth and there is a softness and harmony in the colors and forms that makes the whole thing feel like a comforting blanket.
It’s just what I need this morning.
Well, to be honest, most mornings.
There’s a lot more that I could say about this painting, but I think the excerpt at the top from a novel, Way Station, by sci-fi writer Clifford Simak, pretty much sums up what I am seeking and seeing in this painting.
And what I hope to detect in much of my work.
Almost touching on the greatness of the spirit…
Clifford Simak was one of the masters of the genre during the Golden Age of Science Fiction in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. This novel won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1964. A film adaptation for Netflix is supposedly in the works.
Simak’s first published short story, in 1931 in the magazine Wonder Stories, was The World of the Red Sun. This sparked my interest because I sometimes employ a red sun in my works, as you might recall from a post from a couple of days back on the painting, New World Symphony.
I’ll have to find that story.
Redtree Times 