Rising from Darkness.
The Lotus
I was 16 when I read a description of the lotus flower by Multatuli, a 19th century Dutch author: how the lotus plant began its life in the mud and rose above the water pristine, triumphant, with its petals clean, freed from its muddy origins.
The image lay dormant till this spring, when I set out on a new series of 5 Formica panels tracing the slow unfolding of the bloom. My images include the hidden, underwater view, where the harsh struggle takes place for light and for air.
The Lotus cycle closes off a series of 48 panels that began with The Hemlock Suite, its counterpart. This larger cycle is called:
After the Storms. See summary here.
Medium: oil paint, graphite, litho pencil, watercolor, levigator scarring on Formica.
Size: 56" x 25" Date: April - September 2022
Click on the images
