Visions from Beyond

This is the first time I've posted a painting in progress. After being away for the month of January and hibernating for most of February, I've finally begun to spend some consistent time in my studio. I painted more portraits for the Dearly Beloved Project (see "Collaborations" for those images) and am now just beginning to return to my small 8"x10" canvases to play around with ideas. This piece is more finely rendered than my other small recent paintings, but shares some similarities with the imagery I've been working with over the last couple of years. I'm interested in the magic that young child possess--their ability to see beyond the mundane material world into other realms...and even if they don't literally see other realms, young peoples' visions for what is possible often times far exceeds adults' narrow perspective. I'm interested in trying to visually articulate the process of tapping into what does not yet exist in our present. I'm about to start delving into a longer term futurist conceptual project with one of my best friends. We will be envisioning the lives of our descendants, seven generations from now, as well as reflecting on our ancestors seven generations back. One visual element I'm playing with are rhizome systems, roots that grow perpendicular to gravity and are able to generate new life across long distances through their complex networks and systems of nutrients that exist underground. What a powerful metaphor! The abstract imagery in the top right of this painting is inspired by rhizomes. I'll see how it continues to show up in other pieces.