My Spirit Breathes Again

18x24
Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas

The progression of this painting was an interesting one for me. I knew I wanted to depict the process of reviving my soul after trauma, and I started with the elements of the skull, ouroboros, pomegranate and crow as well as some basic shapes. I hadn’t really planned out the rest, but it evolved over the few months that I worked on it.⁣
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The embellishments in the “underworld” or “tomb” like space were inspired by some old engravings from the 15th and 16th centuries. As I painted these shapes, I realized that what I was doing was honoring the time when I was experiencing the proverbial “dark night of the soul.” Rather than trying to run as far away from it as I could, I discovered that it is important to treat it just as sacred as the “good” times in my life. And to do so, I decorated this tomb that represents that time of my life. They eyes serve two functions - as witnesses to what I experienced but also as protection.⁣
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Moving up the painting, the symbolism of the ouroboros and pomegranate depicts the cycle of rebirth that follows death, finally emerging above ground when it is time to be reborn. This concept is reaffirmed by the words “Solve” and “Coagula,” which literally mean dissolve and coagulate. To be reborn anew, something must first break down and dissolve.⁣
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This entire cycle of continual death and rebirth is driven by that mysterious force one may call God, the universe, chaos, what have you. The only truth we know about it is that it is a great mystery, yet it is the thing that makes everything “go”, so to speak.⁣⁣