The Omnipresence— Now at West End Gallery
The conceptions which developing science gives of the grandeur of creation, as well as the constancy and irresistibleness of its Omnipresent Cause, make all feel the comparative littleness of human power…
–Herbert Spencer, Essays, Scientific, Political, and Speculative (1891)
I was looking for something to open this post and came across the words above from Herbert Spencer, the Victorian era philosopher/biologist/psychologist best known for coining the phrase survival of the fittest. I was going to write about the political hypothesis Spencer provided in his essay containing this single sentence but I think I will let it pass. Instead, I will focus on how I read this in relation to the new painting at the top, The Omnipresence.
I read this and thought that it was implying that the more knowledge we gained, the more we would recognize the sheer magnitude of Nature’s power and reach as well as our own smallness in relation to it. Our relative tininess in the face of Nature’s immensity is a theme that often shows up in my work so this interpretation came easily to me. I could see it in this painting.
I saw the two Red Trees as being aware of their small presence in a much larger scenario. The Sun compass and the other rays in the sky represent for me the great powers surrounding us that are visible to us only in rare instances. Normally, they flow around us undetected. This painting might well depict one of those rare instances.
You might think that acknowledging our smallness would be deflating to our human egos. And maybe for some, it is. I tend to think better of myself and others when I keep this in mind. I think that’s why I see this painting as upbeat, almost joyous in its revelation.
I know I am not doing this painting justice with this post. I am a bit tired and there are so many other things that I get from this painting that are beyond my use of language. The bit of writing above is only a small part of that. I would suggest you come to the West End Gallery to see this 36″ by 24″ canvas personally. It is in my solo exhibit, Persistent Rhythm, that opens tomorrow, Friday, July 19. The opening reception runs from 5-7 PM and I will be there to field any questions or comments you might have.
Redtree Times 