devil detail from the pearl
aztec underworld detail from the pearl
While
isolated in an old house on the island of Malta, I underwent a period
of temporary insanity. The imagery that emerged had a strange Aztec
quality, and took on a bizarre neon violet glow. Years later, I found
inspiration from that experience to paint the underworld for a larger
painting called The Pearl.
orphic
annunciation
This
painting, based on an Orphic creation myth, depicts the birth of Light
(the god Phanes below) and his daughter, shadow or Night (the dark
goddess Nix before him). Between absolute light and darkness fall
the entire spectrum of colors as they play over the main figure of
Adrasteia (Necessity) and, above her, the Chronos serpent (Time).
While making this work, the act of painting became, for me, a visionary
experience.
christ alchemist
This
image came to me in a dream, and took me several years to paint. Through
this image, and under the influence of hashish, I've learned to meditate
on images until they become a doorway to another realm. The sensation
is very much like 'entering through the image'...