AMIDST THE CLOUDS OF MANY WITNESSES
$95 – $1,150
AMIDST THE CLOUDS OF MANY WITNESSES – Dance with joy in your dream
Digital art Herons flight
THE PROVERB
Enjoy your dream
Amongst many witnesses
Fascinate in wonder
A pillar of heaven
To meditate upon
Participate in the rewards
THE STORY
Surreal photo art painting herons flight – I was inspired to paint this from the series “I Will Dance with the Joy of my Father“.
I was videoing friends windsurfing at Rangiputa, Kari Kari Peninsula, Northland, New Zealand when the strong guttural sounds of Herons caught my attention. The sounds in the Macrocarpa tree above me challenged my dedication to the task at hand. I observed their habits and realized I had a new story to tell. Because of the strong wind, they looked like playing games in air currents and then landing for periods of rest. That was it, I must satisfy my want to capture these images. Later I would do some research to discover what behavior this was.
As I watched I saw the pleasure they were experiencing. It seemed to be the life they were showing was reflecting the glory God had placed in their character. I became hooked. After a series of photos, this story begged to find a surreal edge. Surreal photo art painting herons flight needed expressions of protection and delight created in the image. Something like when a child plays securely under a father’s watchful eye. You will know what I mean if you have experienced this emotion. Do you remember when you first noticed, your natural father or your heavenly father’s joy* is enjoying you? The delight of seeing a son or daughter playing with such a childlike abandon in the growth of a dream is contagious.
* PS. Many have never experienced emotional joy. Ian is sensitive to your pain but he says this, “There is hope”. Believe him. He now lives free from confusion, bitterness, suicide, unforgiveness, rejection, sexual and substance abuse, depression, hopelessness, and homelessness.
Creative choices and God
I chose the idea of the pillar from this thought. Any person who builds their faith upon the wisdom from heaven will only dance with joy in discovering the freedom promised. I know the truth in these words. “I love you and get great pleasure out of seeing you enjoy what I have given you to enjoy”, is a pillar of heaven. A father’s heart expressed the pillars of truth in affection for his offspring. Forgiveness, hope, mercy, kindness, protection, inspiration, and life everlasting.
This development went further into the beginning of life’s rich story. I wanted to tell you what I have discovered. The pleasure I received by taking time out to meditate on the life story unfolding left me with questions … Why? This leads me to discover another wonder of creation, awe, and a deep expression of gratitude which welled up with love for God our Father. I love Him without shame. When I see such amazing living creatures I can only honor Him more for such wonder. It is true.
When you set your mind upon what is pure and clean, not on the negative press, your spirit will have a continual feast. It will dance with joy. Guard over the thoughts of your heart … this is one of the pillars of heaven.
Indigenous art storytelling
My research developed further into the indigenous art storytelling of Australian Aboriginal and New Zealand Maori. I admire these people and see a lot of great wonder in how they show their culture in art and music. As my perceptions develop I will mix western fine art disciplines in it. What is common to all people is the want for cultural identity, they want to worship something greater than ourselves and to tell the story of what our culture says.
Maori Art Symbolism
The Mangopare hammerhead shark in the Maori world symbolizes natural abundance, strength, agility, and determination. The predator qualities, symbolized in the Koru pattern, are respected. The warriors sought to emulate them on the battlefield.
Abundance, strength, agility, and determination are depicted in the wave motion embedded in the Koru pattern which symbolizes the backbone oscillations exercised in the movement towards its prey.
I have researched this information from many sources.
Australian Indigenous art inspirations
I love the vibrancy and symbolism in Native arts, particularly, Aboriginal dot painting. Integral to Australian Aboriginal art, the unique dot painting language is recognized globally. On the surface, the dot is simply a style of Aboriginal painting, not dissimilar to cross-hatching or stencil art used in Western art.
Exploring deeper into the history of the Aboriginal dot painting you discover a world of camouflage, secrecy, and ritual. What the Aboriginal depicted in their want to worship from their culture I now use to explore the visual medium from my culture to tell the stories of what I see. I am indebted to God for the Aboriginals’ hunger in storytelling and the simple use of what was at hand. The search for the invisible supernatural world is so clear in their art stories.
Dot painting
The term ‘dot painting’ stems from what the Western eye sees when facing contemporary Aboriginal acrylic paintings. This painting style arose from the Papunya art movement in the 1970s. Papunya Tula (The Western Desert – South West of Alice Springs and now venturing further into West Australia) artists used a process that originally mirrored traditional spiritual ceremonies. The rituals code is to have the desert soil cleared and smoothed as a canvas, much like the dark, earthy boards used by the Papunya Tala. The canvas is drawn on with the inscription of sacred designs, replicating movements of ancestral beings (spirits) upon the earth. The Aboriginals wanted to express this spirit world.
Dreaming design, outlined with dancing circles, is surrounded by multiple dots
Afterward, the imprinted earth is smoothed over and painted bodies rubbed away, masking the sacred secrets which had taken place. The Papunya Tula painting style derives directly from the artists’ knowledge of the traditional body and sand painting associated with the ceremony. To portray these dream time creating stories for the public has required the removal of sacred symbols and the careful monitoring of ancestral designs.
Today these secrets have become known to all with modern technologies and communication systems.
My reasons for journeying into indigenous art forms
I am curious about all mankind’s philosophies and reasons for believing what we do about our beginnings and how we express our beliefs in the art world. My goal is to take my findings and blend the art disciplines into a mix of expression to honor Jesus the founder and maker of us all. He came to restore what is lost, without condemnation and give all mankind the hope and revelation of our true roots
My quest is to explore and create what I find. To show what is true and shine a light on the deception that is invading what God made to be good for our planet.
STATUS and MATERIALS
25 LIMITED EDITIONS “ACRYLIC ENHANCED” CANVAS REPRODUCTIONS
Please ask about the price and sizes – Starting from $7,500
A master acrylic artist will digitally recreate the original painting and use hand-painted brushstrokes to replicate the original painting.
75 LIMITED EDITIONS CANVAS REPRODUCTIONS *
Unframed sizes | 960 x short side – $1150 | 650 x short side – $925
Printed on long-life archival canvas and protected with two coats of UV archival protection spray.
* Stretch mounted reproductions will incur added charges for mounting and freight.
OPEN EDITION POSTER ART PRINTS *
Unframed sizes | 594 x short side – $145 | 420 x short side – $95
* Posters printed on fine art papers and treated with two coats of UV archival protection spray.
PROCESS
Multiple images photographed with a Canon 5D and 7D, color-enhanced digital illustration created on an iMac in Photoshop CC. Printed on fine-weave, primed canvas for long life integrity. Stretch mounted proudly on and protected with UV varnish.
FASHION and PRODUCTS
Images from “Amidst The Cloud Of Many Witnesses” is planned to be exhibited on Women’s Fashions through Vida and multiple product lines at Fine Art America
SHIPPING
- Includes insurance and package/handling fees.
- The Original and Limited Edition reproductions ship with the Provenance coded Authentication of Sale Certificate and maintenance information.
- Poster art prints ship in insured tubes.
