The Entanglement— Coming in June to Principle Gallery
So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You’d better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe.
–Isaac Asimov, Nightfall (1941)
I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have had solo exhibits at the Principle Gallery in Old Town Alexandria, VA every year since 2000. This year’s exhibit, my 26th solo effort there, opens Friday, June 13, and is titled Entanglement. The painting at the top is the first piece from this show that I am sharing. It is titled The Entanglement.
At my last Gallery Talk at the Principle Gallery this past September, I spoke briefly about my own belief system. I can’t remember exactly how I put it since I pretty much speak off the cuff at Gallery Talks, but I vaguely remember beckoning at my work on the walls behind me and stating that one could observe my entire belief system in those paintings. It was not of any particular religion nor was it a rejection of any other. I pointed out that we all have a belief system of some sort. Even Atheism or whatever else you might call believing in nothing is a belief system. Mine, as shown in my work, was simply how I saw the totality of the world and the universe, expressed in a way that my simple mind could comprehend and accept.
I don’t know that I was able then to fully explain it in a way that was satisfactory to anyone but myself. Probably not. But I felt kind of freed up by just admitting to a belief system, however unformed and vague it might seem. Thought I had felt this way about the link between my work and my beliefs, saying it aloud made me look at my work in a different way. It became the impetus for this year’s exhibit.
Entanglement, the title of this exhibit, also is perhaps the most vital aspect of what I believe. Over the coming weeks, I will try to explain it a bit more, though my perception of it shifts and moves all the time.
You see, my belief system is not based on any dogma or doctrine or on any sort of demand for certainty. Human uncertainty is a given in my belief system. I say human uncertainty because I do believe there is some sort of certainty in my belief system. But it’s more in the way of the immutable laws of physics. Well, the laws physics as an ill-educated person sees them.
And that’s where Entanglement enters the picture here. I see us as being manifestations of waves and bands of energy that have merged together to manifest and create flesh and blood beings. These beings, we humans, are temporary, existing for but a limited time on this physical plane. When that time comes to an end, their energy rejoins the bands and waves are constantly in motion around us.
We have free will in my belief system. There is no central figure overseeing and guiding our movements or choices while we in our physical form. Our freely chosen actions either create harmony or disharmony with these bands of energy. Good as we understand it might be seen as being in harmony with this energy while Evil might be seen as being in disharmony, which creates a disruption in the intricate pattern which these energy bands create.
However, it is a self-healing system, one that instantaneously begins to modulate and return itself to a state of harmony. The results of these healing actions within the system are sometimes referred to here as karma. As far as I my limited knowledge of history tells me, though there is always someone using their free will to choose disharmony, the system always comes back to a state of harmony within a reasonably short time. In short, evil seldom prevails for an extended period of time.
Much of what makes up this belief system of energy waves and bands is not inconsistent with other religions or systems of belief. Much of the underlying theology for most religions, once you strip away parochial dogma, is fairly consistent throughout the world. The Ten Commandments, after all, are generally rules which aim to create harmony and discourage disharmony. You needn’t be Christian to see that they aren’t bad rules to live by.
I am going to take a break from this for now. I get a little self-conscious talking about this, imagining someone reading this and rolling their eyes and saying, “What a nutjob!”
Not that I need to defend myself, I will say that it makes this world somewhat tolerable for me. When things are going bad for us as species, it allows me to believe that the system is already beginning to correct itself, aided by those on this physical plane who sense this disharmony and attempt to bring the world back into rhythm with their efforts.
There’s a lot more to it that I will share in the near future. Actually, if you have read along for a while, you probably know what I believe already.
Now, getting back to this painting, The Entanglement. For me, I see this as being a scene of the harmony of which I have describing. The bands of energy move all around in patterns and directions we cannot sense and will never fully understand while we are here. It also creates a feeling of placidity in the scene as well as a sense of connection to the immense power behind it.
We are, after all, built from that energy, distinct parts of it. Our energy, our spirit, as we might call it, will forever be entangled with those ever-swirling bands of energy.
This connection and entanglement is the focus of much of the work from this year’s show. I find myself staring intently at the swirls and tangles in the skies I have painted for this show. Engrossed by its layers and shifts, I find myself sitting for a long time in front of some of these new pieces, often asking where it begins and where it ends.
And I know there are no answers to these questions. And that’s just fine with me.
I don’t need an answer from that which I am.
The Entanglement is 18″ by 24″ on canvas and will be part of Entanglement, my annual exhibit at the Principle Gallery, opening Friday, June 13, 2025.
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