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Taurus: A painting dedicated to the healing and rebirth of JapanStill the cherry blossoms in the midst of destruction~~~ Just as I was preparing to embark on the next painting (Taurus) in my Zodiac series, a massive earthquake hit Japan followed by a 23 foot tsunami on March 11th 2011. It was incomprehensible. The ensuing video coverage of waters rising to cover buildings...surging through villages and carrying cars like small toys...people, their whole lives devastated in an incremental span of time, left many of us paralyzed with the horror that these pictures show: How to respond? Good people and organizations rallied as with so many crises of this age, from Indonesia to Haiti, Somalian strife and mid-western tornadoes. An endless on-going list. And so while having a conversation with Stefani Quane about the attributes of Taurus she mentioned it being 'zen-like' and suddenly I was struck by a deep tearful emotion and knew that I would dedicate my new Zodiac painting to the healing of the people of Japan. And so it began... Painting a Japanese Goddess of beauty and Fertility~~~ There are an amazing amount of Gods and Goddesses represented in various Japanese religions and traditions, (http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/godsjapanese.htm) and while Peggy burned through possible corollaries we suddenly landed on a particular Goddess 'Kichijoten' who in many ways fit Taurus by representing beauty and fertility AND she is depicted wearing a Phoenix head-dress. There it was! The essential piece. The perfect symbol of healing and resurrection for Japan.  So after a lot pictorial research concerning temples, kimonos, Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms and bulls the parts came together into a whole and in my own way I created a prayer of healing for Japan (including the Japanese word for 'healing' on the sleeve of the kimono). Here is a link to the finished painting: 'Taurus-A Tribute to Japan' There is so much more I would like to offer to the beautiful people of Japan in their struggle to rebuild, physically and spiritually...but this second painting of the Zodiac is my humble beginning. I would love to know if anyone else has been inspired to create artwork to express connectedness to this particular event and its ongoing ramifications? Related postsAdd a comment |
