The soul of the newly born baby is marked for life by the pattern of the stars at the moment it comes into the world, unconsciously remembers it, and remains sensitive to the return of configurations of a similar kind. ― Johannes Kepler, Harmonies Of The World
This one was fun to create! I thought of zodiac signs, their symbols and colours. The idea was to make them archetypal, simple and suggestive. My intention was to capture the basic mood of each sign with colours.
I used one big canvas 40 x 50 cm for background, on which I’ve painted 4 elements: fire, earth, air and water. I’ve made elements in columns as the frame for their associated sign. Little remainder: Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) – Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) – Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) – Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).
I used 12 little canvases 10×10 cm to paint each zodiac sign. When dry, I hot-glued them to the big canvas.
The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.
– Sermons of Meister Eckhart
Third piece from series of painting Nebulae. This nebula, known also as God’s eye nebula is maybe one of the most popular occurrences in the space.
It seems appropriate to show this painting trough these coming days: Day of the Dead, Halloween, All saints, All souls day, Samhain… Days when we remember our dead, think about our mortality and higher purpose in life. Days when we look above us to reach out to our God, Creator, Universe and HE looks upon us. Days when we transcend eerie sense of prescence to holy union of souls.
About the painting:
This painting was made with dry brush technique, as described in article about painting the Seahorse Nebula and Eagle Nebula.
I’ve panted the canvas black and added circles of blue shades – grading from lighter in the middle to darker to the end of circle. Than, while still wet, I’ve pulled the brush firmly over the circle to create rays. I kept adding other colors (white, yellow, orange, red) with circular movements of brush to create hazy look of gases. Finally I splashed white color with wide flat wet brush, to create stars.
The Eagle Nebula is 6,500 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens. It contains a young hot star cluster, NGC6611, which is visible with modest back-yard telescopes. This cluster is sculpting and illuminating the surrounding gas and dust, resulting in a huge hollowed-out cavity and pillars, each several light-years long.
It was really fun to paint this series of painting Nebulae. I love the play of light and colors and space fascinate me.
This painting was made with dry brush technique. Firstly, I made black background. Than I gradually added layers of paint. When dry I splashed white paint with large flat brush to paint stars.
It is summer here and time for rest and fun by the sea. Still, most beautiful time of day for me is sunset. And here by Adriatic sea those sunsets are amazing and spectacular.
I tried to capture one of these silent and peaceful moments with all the shades and hues.
Technique I used is ordinary – canvas, paint and brush. I felt that simple, yet beautiful scene like that, doesn’t need any special effects.
“You know– one loves the sunset, when one is so sad…” “Were you so sad, then?” I asked, “on the day of the forty-four sunsets?” But the little prince made no reply.”
Often I look to the sky and see more beauty than in any art ever made.
I took a photograph once of the beautiful sunset and it was an inspiration for this painting. This is rather small painting but it’s very dear to me, and I like it for its colours and contrasts.
Photo
I didn’t make much texture, only bold strikes of the brush, because the contrast and warm colours create life, even drama on this scene.
I believe that we all seek that True love. Unity of body, heart and soul – interwoven and in harmony. Often this is lifelong search, often this is never found. But sometimes you find it. And that does not mean that the pain or yearning is over. It is never easy to love. But it is worth all the troubles, because the love is truly yours – not the other person’s. You feel it, you have it, you live it.
This is somewhat small painting, but I did put all my energy and emotions in this piece and I for me is strong, I almost feel that my soul glows on it. I’ve painted it in a difficult and highly emotional state of mind.
Symbolism is rather obvious: blood for Body, heart for Heart and glowing light for the Soul. Frame of old gold, symbolises the patina on the heart, from past injuries and aces.
The background is dark teal, because it contrasts red and gold. I made faux-frame with the palette knife, pressing it along the edges to leave the texture. When the painting was finished, I made dripping blood with the glue gun and painted it.
Listen, are we helpless? Are we doomed to do it again and again and again? Have we no choice but to play the Phoenix in an unending sequence of rise and fall? – Walter M. Miller
I love the texture and play of the light as it moves across the painting.
So, first I squeezed paint directly onto canvas (black and gold). Than pressed down and lifted plastic foil several times, untill I got desired surface. Than I painted silhouette following the contours of surface.
When choosing the colours, I thought of fire and flames burning from deep red, bright red, orange, yellow to blue – so I’ve used that palette to paint the Phoenix. I finished it with touches of gold.
All that glisters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life has sold But my outside to behold: Gilded tombs do worms enfold Had you been as wise as bold, Your in limbs, in judgment old, Your answer had not been in’scroll’d Fare you well: your suit is cold.’
– William Shakespeare
This little birdie thief that loves all that shines was painted to go with the Little owl painting. I’ve used the photo my father made, as for the previous one. My dad loves birds – he wathes them and feed them, so I painted them for him.
Painting technique was the one I often use – plastic foil and paint directly on the canvas to get texture. This time I have made bird contours with the palette knife, to make it smoother and to achieve impression of feathers.
Paint onto canvas
Paint and plastic foil
Smear
Rounded palette knife
Contouring
Birdie
I painted flowers to add some colour and painting is done.
Looking at the paintings of “Natural phenomena” series, it came to me that each brings strong symbolism and deeper meaning that can be linked to tarot and runes. From the beginning of time, our ancestors worshiped and feared great forces of nature. They personified them and made them Gods or spirits. They bring archetypal meaning deeply imprinted in our collective conciseness.
The whole idea started to envelope when I stumbled upon the tarot card “Tower” on the internet. It instantly reminded me of the meteor painting. So I started to ruminate over other paintings and their correlation to tarot or rune.
I will use Raider-Waite deck for this post because It is best known deck even amongst people that don’t share interest in occult or esoteric. Pictures are shown in increasing order by numbers of Major Arcana cards. (The deck I use for my personal meditation and contemplation is Arthurian tarot by Anna-Marie Ferguson Legend-arthurian tarot, which embodies mysterious appeal of tarot and dark age legends likewise. Oh, and dragons, too). Runes are elder futhark.
Those are my associations, I’m sure that there are plenty of different opinions how to match tarot cards with runes, let alone this paintings.
Volcano is strong and unpredictable force, often used to describe someone temperamental, like the lion, untamed beast. When lion is tamed he is warm, timid and cuddly, but always keeping his wild side inside-like magma boiling inside the sleeping volcano. Eruption of volcano is destructive force, but when lava hardens it creates. It can heal. It’s ash nourishes the soil. Volcanos gases form planet’s atmosphere – it basically gives us life. Uruz symbolises life force, endurance, formation, healing, manifestation – and so embodies all concepts of Volcano and tarot card Strength. And zodiac sign Leo – bold and strong and passionate.
If we look at northern lights in the sense of spiritual lights and search, then The hermit becomes obvious. Isa means ice and signifies coldness, isolation, stillness, but it urges you to move forward, because If you don’t find your way out, you will be dead. Death can be spiritual, emotional, not just physical. It’s like the hermit card in some aspects. The Virgo – rational and patient, enduring but wise and kind. General message of this trio is to dive into coldness end isolation to emerge enlightened.
Few man need Fortuna like the sailors, for ages they are toys of Faith. Every journey depends on wheel of fortune, as in life. Sometimes the see is still and beautiful and sometimes is wild and dangeros. Perthro is the rune of fate, luck, unknown, universal law of cause and effect. The wheel of fortune rotates infinitely and no one knows for sure what future brings. And what will the planet of luck, Jupiter’s constellations bring.
I named this painting sun is hiding – because the sun is there, it is only transitional state, and darkness passes. Tarot card Death is similar. It’s ominous look is frightening, but the key concept of this card is beginning through ending, change, transformation, transition. Ansuz also speaks of transition, ancestors, transformation. Like the Scorpio, that mysterious, dark, yet deep and warm sign – changeable and transformational in its nature. So I think that the general theme here is change, life cycles- the necessity to get rid of what is no longer useful and begin the new chapter in our life.
Oooh, The tower! – I think that most of us thinks that when that card appears in the reading. It is card of destruction – like Uranus its planet ruler – or like meteor impact. They all bring chaos, shock, they are sudden and unpredicted. They drastically and swiftly sake you to the bones. But! This is not necessarily bad, it makes you question your beliefs, like death (and it is linked to Death card – Scorpio whose ruling planets are Mars and Uranus) – and brings change. Although Fefu is mostly seen like positive rune, it also brings the concept of new beginnings, failure, and energy – matching the tower meaning.
The moon is mysterious and deep, signifies intuition, psychic powers and deep emotions. It also evokes illusion and dreams. Like the Laguz rune. Moon being the ruling planet of zodiac sign cancer, gives that moonchild all that gifts (and sometimes burdens)., and makes it volatile like moon phases. Being cancer myself, I know that Moon, oh so well.
Josipa'S Art 