“Eminence”
This painting came about as I explored the idea of something dark blocking light in such a way that it actually makes the lightness brighter. I have seen this in the natural world where if you refract light through a smaller space, it can become much brighter. I find that fascinating and completely transferrable to a psychological parallel. It also reminds me of the phenomenon that the darkest moment in the night is just before the dawn.
I am not sure I see it as the traditionaly dichotmy of good versus evil. I see light and dark as just light and dark, and I also see it as many different dualities depending on the situation and also depending on what I’m creating. It could be confusion/understanding, or hiding away/sharing, or even the unknown/the known. There are so many things that it could be, so many nuances or things worth exploring in my opinion. And in some ways it is better to keep it open so that the image can speak to the individual however it wants to. (Think Bob Ross talking to his trees, yeah he gets më. Ha ha!)
I started this piece by just kind of defining the two contrasting sides and then exploring how they would interconnect. Would there be something in between them or wrapped around? What would that say to the duality? One of the biggest take aways is that there is movement between them, interest between them, and also some kind of mystery between them. I feel like this is just one state of their interaction, and it could keep moving and and swaying on and on.
The thin yellow lines to the left are meant to signify how these forms reverberate as they interrelate. Sometimes the motion is wild and uncontrolled, but sometimes it is methodical and the lines seem more straight and decisive, like how lines of light would refract in a prism of some type. There is also the glowing from below to suggest that it is glowing of its own accord, and not to mimic how something would glow in a real life situation. The rules of light and reflection are solely rules created for the piece, and not to adhere to anything we’ve known before. This further promotes the idea of exploring something otherworldly.
I titled it “Eminence” because of the majestic feel that it had in the end, and the true glow of the yellow tone contrasting with the other stark colors. It is also kind of a hill or elevation, or something of height, or high station, or rank. It feels victorious, and somewhat like a celebration as well. The yellow is meant to be the most significant action in the image, and the forms and colors are reacting to the intense glow.
What is it celebrating? I think the tiny victories we have each day that we don’t even take time to recognize. Life happens fast, and much of it goes unrecognized. But we are a sacred species and when we do take time to reflect upon what is happening inside us, we can get surprised by what we see. We have an inner glory that is often overlooked. A glory that is more than just “self worth”. It is something, that, if we could only see it, it would put us in awe.
It would give us that same feeling we have when we are immersed in nature, and seeing something spectacular for the first time. I think I could tie a thin thread to this painting and an experience I had going up to Mount Rainier, up to Paradise, and seeing the clear divinity of the mountain peak and the flowers and trees surrounding the trail I walked. It was so sunny and fresh that day, and we could see everything with such vivid color. It has been awhile since that time, but I can see how I turned that imprint inside out and let it show itself again in this painting.
