In my previous post 'Smorgasbord' I explained that I had been having some fun painting a series of small paintings. They are all 10 x 15cm and gouache on paper. I've uploaded another 4 paintings for you.
As you can see, my much loved tree-of-life motif is dominant. I love the way it can represent systems of all kinds. I often wonder if the form of a tree holds the secrets to the ultimate template of life in our universe or, maybe even, multi-universes. I wonder if it holds the code to, what could be called, the master template. In my imagination I can 'see' how the tree, with its branches and roots, hints at the substance of the nano at the same time as hinting at the forces which propel the universal and vast.
Regular readers of this BLOG will understand my interest in the forces which possibly link the nano and vast. My fascination with perspective, both literal and metaphoric, has taken me on an exploration of the distances between the nano and vast. I 'see' this exploration as holding clues to how we need to negotiate the distance between the local and global, as we live locally in an increasingly globalised world. Yet, our struggle seems so small when placed against the life forces propelling all existence. It kind of puts it into perspective don't you think?
The secrets encoded in age-old archetypal symbols, such as the tree-of-life, are a constant fascination to me. I am interested in representing the 'tree' in a way which means something to us in the 21st century. So, whilst I enjoy looking at and reading about past representations of the tree-of-life, I believe that the potential of archtypes is tethered if we merely replicate previous portrayals. The potency of archtypes is that they hold a core truths that can be understood, if investigated and contemplated, over eons. This potency does not dissipitate into the vagaries of fashion or the vacuuousness of celebrity or the pithy meaningfulness of transient symbols. Rather, it resonates at deep core levels of life and existence, even if we cannot quite put our finger on it. I enjoy exploring this potency that I know exists.
Cheers,
Kathryn
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