Cave Painting section at Dunhua, and "Dreaming Deer"

I was inspired by an ancient running dear motif from the caves of China at Dunhua at a time when the light of Buddha was making it's way along the silk road from India into northern China. There's an inner light emerging in human awareness and finding it's outer light in these symbols, which, for me, still hover at the boundary where dream images meet waking awareness.

I convey this by floating the images in front of the wall with shadows and other visual cues which are read directly, bypassing our symbol encoding and translating processes of or thinking. I made the "wall" from a piece of copper oxidized rock that I got in Colorado, which give the lovely greenish flow patterns and patina in the print..

In Dream Consciousness pictures, such as this one, visual cues are used which confound waking sense, such as "light shadows" , simultaneous front and back lighting, and creating a subtle spherical surface on which the deer run, projecting out from the cave wall.

Harbinger Suite, Rt Panel with Harbinger

Here is the right panel with the Harbinger.

Harbinger Suite

This triptych has the feeling of floating up and an imminent event.

There is also a horizon in the sky where perhaps a future of undreamt possibilities is leaking into the present.

Meet Me at the Horizon

This picture's title is inspired by Rumi and others.

Blue Velvet

I like the rich, dark velvety quality of this picture.

Two Mandalas

LAVENDER STAR


GOLDEN STAR

The Golden Star mandala is made using scans of butterfly wings and building them with blended layers in Photoshop.

Opening, A Finished Work?

I finished ? this late last night.

It evolved from the earlier version of the picture that I posted yesterday. I am finding openings into wider feeling places by working with this image. I may do some more experimentation with value and color, which may yield new surprises. I think I won't add any more motif. When I tried to add other elements the picture seemed to reject them.

As I was working, I recalled a conversation that I had that morning with a friend. He was telling me about a moment when he learned that his son died in a car accident. He was at a spiritual congress at the time, many miles away. A couple of men that were there took him aside at that moment and suggested that they receive about his son in the spiritual exercise. He received some understanding and comfort about the continuing journey of his son's soul.

When he told me this, I had a feeling of release into a wider space in my feelings, that flickered in and out as I worked on this
piece.

Golden Moment (Trio), In Progress

Dreaming Doors, In Progress