The Serious Series, insights

The building blocks of childhood are formed when all  play is learning.  The transformative power of blocks of wood to be  a castle or cave, a road or a river, cars or trains, people or animals, led me to see them as the building blocks of childhood in this painting.  This play is the foundation for physical, mental, and spiritual growth.

I feel like inspiration is everywhere, when you know what you are looking for.  After completing Play School, I felt the need to break down the blocks into smaller shapes and create a movement around the canvas,  as if I was an explorer of a new place, or a new thing.  It started feeling like a city, but it was really about the stuff I brought with me each time I moved, including myself.

 Following the idea of moving led to the idea of movement in general.  I explored the shapes of the transporter, the bike, the big wheel, the skates, the steering wheel, perhaps the friend I can take along for the ride. It means I can go fast, go away, and come back when I am ready.

Representing the many forts, the caves of snow, the canopy of leaves, the sheets thrown over the table, the portal view.

So much more than up, a magical place, where we look for our orientation and also our guidance.

We need to use our fears as safety nets, and not traps that we are caught up in.  The yellow streak is the common denominator, doubts and fears, that precede all adventures, new,  out and beyond yourself. The yellow square becomes the safety net.

If I am not a bird,

Don't tell me I'm not a bird,

Please, just let me fly.

                                                 ebb

I think it is important to think about our super heroes.  How do they help us navigate our world as adults?  I thought  often about Joseph Campbell and his work and insights, about heroes, and myths, and spirituality, while creating this painting.

The original is 24" x 24".  This is the first painting in the series I painted on a  larger canvas than the rest, which  are 12' x 12'.    This painting represents the ability to strip away layers of thoughts.  Each layer is made from connected shapes.   I can best describe each layer as" the feeling under the feeling", and as I can  get deeper I find there is healing.