Flight Of Imagination

Flight Of Imagination, 40 x 40, Sold

I was asked recently by the client who bought Flight of Imagination to provide any commentary on this painting that I could share with him. This ended up being a great opportunity to reflect on why I paint what I do and I thought it would also be nice to share with you.

The inspiration for the painting, Flight Of Imagination, came from my love of capturing the mystery and beauty of nature, and creating work that frees our minds from the ordinary. 

I have connected with animals since a young age and from my earliest memories, I have always used making art as my favorite form of self-expression. It is not surprising that as my artwork evolved, I began painting birds and nature.  

Birds to me have always been magical creatures that exist between the heavens and earth. I have spent a lot of time in nature and one of my favorite things to do is observe birds.  Their movement, social structures, physiology, and instincts are fascinating, especially observing these variations in different species. On a more spiritual level, they are symbols of freedom, inspiration, and transcendence. As someone who loves symbolism, it is interesting to read about the different kinds of birds and their meaning in different cultures.

In Flight Of Imagination, I patterned these birds after the swallow. Swallows are one of my favorite birds to watch, their movement is swift, fast and they can turn quickly.  Fighter jet wings were actually modeled after this type of bird wing. I took artistic license with the vivid red-orange coloring of these birds, creating a mood of energy and aliveness against the contrasting dreamy, blue backdrop. I can see the correlation between how a bird takes to flight effortlessly, and how our minds can drift, and in an instant we can be soaring with a new idea, eureka moment or beautiful daydream. 

Overall, my work reflects that in life the Divine is always present, connecting us to each other and everything in inexplicable ways. It is the thread that weaves the magic, joy, and peace into our lives. The reason I use a lot of circles in my work stems back to my love of symbolism. The circle is an unbroken line which has no beginning, no end and no direction. With these attributes, the circle represents a completeness which encompasses all space and time.  Symbolically, the circle depicts the unending, the unknowable, the un-measurable, the un-graspable and the indefinable. In other words, the circle is the symbol of Divinity.