“Lighting the Way” – Dedicated to my Parents

It took nearly 6 months at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art to create this self-portrait from visionary exercises, design, drawing, underpainting, layers of glazing, painting, and finishing stages.  Truly, however, it took me a lifetime.

As one classmate said, all paintings can be considered self-portraits.  This is the first time, however, that I have consistently felt like I was painting my essence, my journey. It is true, I usually wear flowing clothes and now have short hair…  that’s not the kind of self-portrait I mean.  Instead, it it is a visual representation of the sacred connections that have guided me all along my evolutionary path in this lifetime.

The Symbolism:

You may have read about the process and symbolism in several previous posts.  As a quick recap, it honours:

• my Source/ God from where I have come and from which my roots continue to feed,
• the various guiding spirits, totem animals, and angels that have accompanied me at different times of my life,
• my inspirations (Nature, a sculpture of Psyche & Amore I saw at The Louvre as a child, the work of Klimt and Hundertwasser here in Vienna),
• my Higher Self (the tree whose glowing spiraling branches covered in sigils continue to reach ever higher, leading the way)
• the fruit of spirals, symbols of evolution, holistic growth; connectivity and union with deific and cosmic energies; and more,
• my roots here on Mother Earth, and
• the vibrancy of Love and Beauty (colour) that nourish my soul.

The Chosen Name:

For all of these reasons, I have chosen the name “Lighting the Way”, a name offered by Sherrill Miller in Grandora, Saskatchewan.  It captures the essence of my enlightened connections, of never being truly alone, and of the feeling of growth and expansion represented by this piece. Thanks so much Sherrill for that suggestion and to all those who participated – there were so many good names to choose from. I’m holding on to all your suggestions for future paintings.  Know that your contributions have inspired me.

Dedicated to My Beloved Parents:

I dedicate “Lighting the Way” to two very special people who have made my life and my life’s journey possible.  Thank you Maman et Papa! You are a crucial part of my root system here on Earth.  I take this opportunity to publicly thank you for having provided such a strong foundation for me to grow from. Your courage to follow your own paths, leading to your blessed meeting in Europe, has no doubt flowed into my blood stream.  I grew up thinking anything was possible and that I could shape my life the way I wanted. Tears are flowing from my eyes as I write this – tears of deep gratitude and joy. You respected my introverted, imaginative, and sensitive nature and didn’t discourage my solo adventures at such a young age (in a time and place where this was much safer than today). You fostered my curiosity and supported/encouraged my education and my dreams. You opened me up to the wonders of travel.  You were attentive to my needs in so many ways and nourished my creativity by allowing both my exploration and expression. You comforted me when the realities of the world were hard to bare and helped me face them when all I wanted to do was hide. Through your dependability, integrity, and equanamity, you taught me how to function in this world. You also provided a strong spiritual foundation – introducing me to God, Jesus and the Roman Catholic church – and accepted when my spirituality moved away from organized religion. Indeed, you’ve rarely tried to influence any of my choices, trusting me and my Guidance, even if my choices were so different from that of yours and most of your generation.  Truth be told, you loved me to the very best of your ability throughout my entire life – caring for my happiness with few expectations.  This too is part of my self-portrait – the roots that spread above and beneath ground. Thank you for the role that you have played in my life – when I say that without you I wouldn’t be here, I mean so much more than the obvious. Along with all those more evidently represented in this painting, you have lighted my way and continue to do so.  I love you!

(Oh yes, you also learned to accept my very different ways of expressing myself. 🙂  )