Redtree Times

Eye in the Sky— Coming to the West End Gallery

A man must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness.

–Jean Genet, The Selected Writings of Jean Genet

My annual solo exhibit at the West End Gallery opens two weeks from tomorrow, Friday, July 21. This year’s show is titled Eye in the Sky, as is the painting above. Below is the statement for this year’s show.

I’ve been exhibiting my paintings at the West End Gallery since 1995, doing many group and solo shows. I believe this year’s solo show, Eye in the Sky, is my 22^nd at the place I consider my home gallery, since it is the closest gallery to my home. More importantly, my career as an artist began at the West End Gallery 28 years ago.

Like many other things that take place over an extended period, my painting has evolved and changed. The techniques and process of my painting have constantly shifted, sometimes dramatically. And though I remain primarily a landscape painter, elements have been added to my paintings. There were red-roofed houses, red chairs, sailboats, paths, eyeless faces, and fields of flowers, among others. And, of course, the Red Tree that became a sort of trademark, being present in the majority of my paintings over the years.

But there has also been another element that has been present and almost as ubiquitous as that Red Tree. It is the sun or moon that often appears as a large ball in the skies over my imagined landscapes.

Over the years, this sun/moon orb has taken on a greater role in my paintings. Looking back at older work, the sun/moon was not shown often and was quite small in size when it did appear. It was often just a minor compositional element. However, in the intervening years, this sun/moon has grown in size and prominence in the paintings. It now has a real presence in the paintings, often serving as either the central figure or as a spiritual partner or guide for the Red Tree. The two often seem engaged in a silent conversation in many of the works.

There are probably many reasons for this evolution but the best explanation, at least to my mind, comes from a dream I had a number of years ago. It occurred in the months before the West End show of whatever year it was, at a time when I was struggling with my confidence. I felt more deeply blocked and dejected in my work than I had ever experienced before.

I felt empty, like I had perhaps given all I had to give in my work.

I had a dream one night during this time. In the dream, I was standing under a dark night sky that was colored in dark green tones. I was experiencing the same sort of anxiety that I was feeling in my waking life. Then there appeared an opening in the sky, as though a small sliding panel were opened in the sky.

An eye appeared in the opening. Tinted green in the light of the sky, it seemed to be a clear and ancient eye, surrounded by deep creases and wrinkles that were visible as it peered down at me through the opening.

No words were spoken, no singular message transmitted, or wisdom imparted. It was just there.

It had a great pacifying effect on me in the dream as though I instantly knew that there was something overseeing me and that I was not alone, that all was as it should be.

I woke up with that same pacified feeling of assurance, knowing that everything was as it should be. It was a drastic change from my demeanor of the days and weeks before. Its effect has carried me through that time and in times of anxiety since. The sun/moon has come to symbolize that dream and the ensuing feeling. I believe that dream was the starting point for the increased prominence of the sun/moon orb in my work.

The sun/moon has become a vital element in my work, nearly as much as my Red Tree. It serves many roles, often as a steadying force, symbol of hope and a sense of communion with the universe. I think this year’s show, Eye in the Sky, gives ample evidence of that.