"Roberto's Offering"

"Roberto's Offering" Copyright 2008

"Roberto's Offering" - Detail with inset of Bob-the-Cat

This painting tells the story of Bob-the-Cat who followed my son home one day 5-1/2 years ago. We had plenty of animals in the house so we could not keep him, but I agreed that Bob could be our "outside" cat. Bob roams the neighborhood and is fed by many people. He is very healthy for a stray cat and is allowed indoors during the winter in some houses to warm up. We had him fixed so he wouldn't create more homeless cats. He comes when called and goes by the following names: Bob, Bob-the-cat, Robert, Bert, Bobby, Bobbert, Roberto, Robierto del feline, (you get the idea).

Because we are one of the families that feeds him, he brings us gifts. Every summer he procures the neighborhood gardening gloves and brings them to us. I don't know how he finds them. Usually he brings a single old, worn out right or left, but one year there was a brand new pair with the packaging still on them. We collect all the gloves and then place a sign on the old tree in front of our yard asking people to pick up theirs. One by one they are reclaimed. Bob also brings us mice, birds, anything he finds precious.

"Seadragon's World"

Copyright 2008

Here is the latest painting. It shows a seadragon laying in wait within the corals and seaweed. The white layer symbolizes death. The outermost layer is a magnification view of the mysid shrimp that will be eaten by the dragon. The shrimp, in turn, are eating the already dead detris (the white dots). Everything to the outside of the white stripe is either dead or soon going to be. The blue-green circles symbolize not only the water, but the circle of life. The lines around the shrimp are the water currents swaying them to and fro.

After doing some more in-depth research into Aboriginal art, I understand that what I am doing may be considered offensive to the indigenous people of Australia. Their art is more than just our western civilizations concept of art. Art is not merely a "picture" but a living thing which connects past to present, natural to supernatural, and is a sign of knowledge. It is part of their religion and part of who they are as a people. The thing is, that is exactly why it is so dear to me. I respect that it is a spiritual journey of meditation, patience and guidance from a greater being whom I call God.

So, not wishing to offend, but still in admiration of the meditative, symbolic, iconic, and spiritual aspects of the artistic style; I've decided to build my own symbolic imagery stemming from my own geneology, time, place, space, religion, education and culture. Stories that my ancestors have passed down through the generations would be expressed in the paintings. Symbolic animals and plants from my piece of the big blue marble. You get the idea.

Tomorrow I am going to Dick Blick and pick up some more canvas boards. Maybe tonight, in my dreams, an idea will be planted and I'll begin again.

To learn more about Aboriginal art as an iconographic art form establishing both a verbal history and an intrinsic connection to nature look here: http://www.buy-original-art.com/styles/aboriginal_art.htm