The Water Element

"Dying to Live, Wishing to Fulfil" oil & mixed media on canvas, 153 x 183 cm 2004

I can't believe this painting is 8 years old. I remember so clearly the impact of the messages I was downloading for this. As it transpired to be a prophetic painting. It also informed the larger painting I went on to do called the "Wishfulfilling Tree With Auspicious Offerings"  in 2005 (scroll down to see this in an earlier post).
I started with the island, which apparently resembles Koh Phi Phi in Thailand.  I'd never been there and had never seen a picture of it, but became curious about it.  On completing the island, I remember I was then going to paint it suspended in beautiful clouds...but here's where the message kicked in. I was guided by my inner voice to paint the island embedded in a choppy sea. That wasn't how I'd planned it as my head wanted the clouds. It was probably the early stages of my on-going obsession with painting clouds. However, I followed the guidance and painted in a wild sea. I was aware of a powerful feeling of foreboding, and I kept imagining something terrible had happened on the island, a strong sense of death was lingering.
That's when I added 13 little skulls bobbing on the high seas. The people  had unfortunately not made it to the wishfulfilling tree which offered salvation and an end to their suffering.
On reflection I realised this painting contained all five elements of the universe: Earth, Sky, Fire, Water and Air. Without any one of them, the universe would cease to exist. The knowledge surrounding them runs deep. When the five elements are in balance, we are able to function at our highest level as human beings. When we are out of balance with the elements, disaster can strike. The water element is nurturing energy, but when out of balance it can cause tsunamis, floods and hurricanes.

On December 26th 2004 one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history occurred in the form of a colossal earthquake in the Indian Ocean. This triggered a series of devastating tsunamis hitting Indonesia the hardest, followed by Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The waves reached over 30 foot high, killing at least 230,000 people in 14 different countries and it prompted a worldwide humanitarian response.

I completed this painting one week before the tsunami happened. On the 29th of December I was boarding a plane to Bangkok, Thailand, with the image of this painting not far behind me.






Waterfall of the Whispering Dragon

"Waterfall of the Whispering Dragon" oil on canvas, 153 x 183 cm, 2008

This painting is inspired by both western landscape and eastern mythology. The boulders and rocks were inspired entirely by a trip to Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. There is an amazing shoreline which is full of these powerful rocks which vibrate with colour and texture. I am not too hot on geology but I believe the rocks are scarred by the ice-age. They have all manner of encrusted seaweeds and slimy algae growing on them and I happily studied them for hours, whilst under the watchful gaze of half a dozen seals.
The waterfall was inspired by a picture in National Geographic of an Icelandic waterfall.
The waterfall is a very dramatic force of nature; it is full of grace and beauty yet so wild and untameable. They are persistant as an entity but in constant flux. The best place to meditate is by a waterfall as the noise will dissolve the chatty mind and their presence is very uplifting and healing. In Japan there is a Shinto ritual called Misogi, where ascetics stand underneath a waterfall for purification. Ouch. Waterfalls are one of the basic motifs of Chinese landscape painting, and it seems as if I have adopted them into my own personal symbology.....unwittingly, they mysteriously appear in almost every painting I have done of recent years. This is the same for the water element. Perhaps I am constantly needing to cleanse my inner landscape.
Now to the dragon. Why did he appear? I started this painting before I went to China, and completed it on my return. A message came through for me to paint a dragon at the foot of the waterfall. I do love the aesthetic of the Chinese dragons, all curves and colours and mystery. I knew that the dragon was a predominant symbol of auspicious power in ancient Chinese folklore. I didn't know that they were the rulers of moving bodies of water, such as waterfalls. The dragon overcomes obstacles until success is his. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious. I was happy that he found his way into this painting. You will perhaps be able to see a suggestion of The Great Wall of China creeping into the bottom of the canvas.
Whilst I was painting the dragon, a curious thing happened....he started whispering to me; it was rather ethereal and quite surreal and it made my brush strokes very gentle and delicate. This was the inspiration for the title.