BIRTH OF LIGHT

Birth Of Light Oil on linen 122 x 153 cm 2014

 

 

 

I've been painting!

 

 

And reading...three books at once. One is Wonders Of The Universe by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen. It's the book based on the BBC series of the same name which is hosted by Brian Cox. The first chapter is called Messengers and light, visible and not visible [eg: Cosmic Microwave Background CMB] is the main topic. Light, which exhibits a wave/particle [photon] duality, brings us information from and about the early stages of the Universe our 13.7 billion year old environment.

 

It is amazing to realise that visible light emanating from stars, and other entities in space, is old by the time it reaches us. We are seeing the past in our present because light takes time to reach us. As Cox and Cohen write about human awareness through sight, even when we look at ourselves in a mirror, Without realising it, we are all travelling back in time by the most minuscule amount. The consequence of light travelling fast, but not infinitely fast, is the you see everything as it was in the past. The text goes onto say However, the further we are away from an object, the greater the delay becomes.[1] For example light from the our sun takes 8.3 minutes to reach us and from Neptune it takes 4 hours. With the help of Earth-based telescopes and observational spacecraft we augment our ability to see back into time. For example for just over 20 years the Hubble Space Telescope, in orbit 600 km from Earth, has brought us images of deep space that have changed our Universal perspectives. These changes influence science and spirituality, both having awe in common.

 

For the naked eye, without help from technology, the night sky is a 'jewel box' of sparkles and luscious bling. I find it intriguing to think about those who lived 100s and 1000s of years ago, who without technology, made valuable and interesting observations of the night sky. For instance, Australian Aboriginal astronomy has provided interesting perspectives for modern scientists. An article called The First Astronomers by Andi Horvath, in The Age newspaper, briefly describes some of the sophisticated observations made by Aboriginal people. You can do some more research yourself, as there is plenty available.

 

LIGHT'S BRUSHSROKES

The night sky provides a black canvas for visible light to 'paint' Universal history upon. Every night the 'painting' subtly changes. Daylight saturates us with warmth, illumination and energy, but as night arrives it's like turning a page in the story of time. It's also fascinating to think that light, in all its visible and invisible permutations, itself has a history. Whilst photons appeared in the first three minutes of the Universe, it took along time for visible light to emit. This happened about 400 million years later when stars and galaxies started to form. You will need to read a book like The Wonders Of The Universe to get more detail on this incredible history. I recommend it.

 

METAPHOR

Light as a metaphor, for knowledge, pathways, spirit, guidance and more, has interested me for a long time. A previous post called Let There Be Light   is a small online exhibition of a few of my 'light' paintings. It is easy to understand why light, especially visible light, has entered humankind's cultural, spiritual and religious endeavours and beliefs in the form of metaphor. Through ritual, ceremony and artistic interpretation light essentially celebrates wonder...and how amazingly appropriate is that! It links us back to the beginnings of time! It also links us all, for humanity as a whole, across time, is witness to this light. The shared metaphor and symbol across cultures and religions, is like a thread that knits us together.

 

BIRTH OF LIGHT Oil on linen 122 x 153 cm

My new painting Birth Of Light tries to capture light's 'brushstrokes' across time and space, those 'strokes' that illuminate and those that provide unseen, but felt or detectible forces. Yet, like many of my paintings, there is an ambiguity because it could be an image of the beginnings of the Universe, yet also maybe one star, or a galaxy, or it could be a thought emitting knowledge and creativity that affects the world, or it could be an eye...the very thing that enables us to see light. It could also be the culmination of human spirituality, the thread drawing us together. I like the idea of humanity being woven together by light.

This painting is not a scientific illustration or an artist's impression. It a creative piece inspired by wonder and awe. I will say though, that it is definitely a cosmic 'landscape'...a landscape untethered from Earth's horizons. A scape of humanity's soul...maybe?

 

Birth Of Light is related to my earlier painting, below, called Pale Blue Dot [inspired by Carl Sagan]

 

I also wrote a post a few weeks ago called Art -Science -Imagination -Wonder which might interest you. it was inspired by something astronaut Chris Hadfield said in an interview on Australian TV.

 

 

 Pale Blue Dot [Inspired by Carl Sagan] oil on linen 120 x 150 cm 2014

 

 Footnotes:

1. Cox, B and Cohen, A Wonders Of The Universe Harper Collins, London, 2011 P.44

 

 

OTHER NEWS

Tomorrow night Saturday 18 October 2014 I am one of 13 artists from Barcelona, Brisbane, Paris and Sydney in a one night exhibition called Painted Prose. We have each responded to poems written by Brent Bridgeford. The poem I responded to is called In Abysm Inhere which actually uses light and dark as very forceful metaphors for internal battles.

 

The exhibition is on at Substation 4, 22 Petrie Tce, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - 7 pm.

 

My painting is An Eternal Dance [below]. In this painting I have played with light and contrasting dark. I am really happy with it.

 

 

An Eternal Dance Gouache on paper 32 x 114 cm 2014

 

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com



ARE WE THERE YET?

Are We There Yet? Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm

 

On long trips young children are inclined to ask, 'Are we there yet?' more than once or twice! Indeed, my own children, on long drives to and from Goondiwindi*, were inclined to ask this question a lot. One daughter more so than the other two. She did not like to sit still for very long. She'd start asking within minutes of leaving on a four to five hour drive!

 

I remember asking the same question of my parents too. Like my daughter I did not like to sit still for long periods of time. That was back in the days when time seemed to travel so, so, so slowly...when a half hour math class seemed an excrutiating eternity and a whole year was beyond that!

 

 

Photos of me [aged about 6] and my brother Wilfred in the back seat of our car. From memory a trip to Brisbane from our home at Dalby to visit our grandparents. In the 1960s this took about 4 or slightly more hours...an eternity! You can tell Wilfred is a lot happier than me! In fact he looks quite mischievous. 

 

But, the question Are we there yet? has a much wider amplification into various human endeavours and activities, from literal travel to individual self improvement and beyond to 'enlightenment' and spirituality. The question implies a destination, whether it is a geographical location or a hoped-for outcome or a state of being or a spiritual 'place' [literal or within the psyche]. But, does it also perhaps imply an inability to make the most of the present? I remember distracting my impatient daughter by drawing her attention to all sorts of things, from grazing cattle and horses, kangaroos hopping beside the road, pretty clouds wafting across the sky. She would spend a few minutes watching and thinking, before again asking...'Are we there yet?'

 

* Goondiwindi is a small rural town on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

 

 

ARE WE THERE YET? OIL ON LINEN 80 x 140 cm

 

So, to my painting Are We There Yet?.  I wanted to create an ambiguous landscape...and regular readers know this is something I like to do. I wanted a sense of flying, as if the viewer has reached the outer edge of a planet....which could be Earth, but maybe it is not? Hence my title...Are We There Yet?...suggests that perhaps we have travelled to another planet...perhaps in those round blue balls? Maybe we have just left Earth for a very long trip and this painting is the last fly-by? Or, maybe the landscape is a metaphor for our internal 'landscapes' of psyche or soul?

 

I thought about this painting after reading various articles, including a very recent one in National Geographic Most Earthlike Planets Found Yet: A "Breakthrough", about discoveries of planets that, maybe... just maybe, could be like Earth. There are a couple of implications stemming from the suggestion that these planets may support life. One is that they already have life in some form and the other implication is that humanity could find another 'home' on these newly discovered planets. Each of these implications have a myriad of others!

 

In the event of Earth's destruction, possibly orchestrated by aberrant individuals or groups, or as a result of our sun's slow and increasingly heat fuelled demise, or a wayward meteor causing nighmarish destruction of our life sustaining environment or indeed humanity's destruction of our life sustaining environment, we [humanity] may need a new home. Imagine remnants of humanity travelling on space craft to planets, possibly 1000s of light years away. New life would be born during the trip to the promised land. Imagine how many would be asking 'Are we there yet?' or 'When will we get there?' But, maybe scientists will send a special mix of human DNA, which upon some pre-determined trigger, forms into humans? But, who would ask the very human question 'Are we there yet?'

Indeed, as we seek to know more about our Universal environment, I think there is perhaps an equally vast internal one to explore as well.

 

As I look out my office window, it all seems so fanciful and impossible. It is a perfect Brisbane autumn day. The sky is a gorgeous blue and the sun settles softly on leaves and flowers. Birds are chirping and a soft breeze gantly drifts through my window tickling my cheeks.  Yep, I've just returned to the present after travelling in my imagination to distant futures and celestial destinations!

 

You will notice the small blue tree...my reference to the age-old transcultural/religious tree-of-life symbol. As regular readers know, it is a dominant visual guide in my work. I like it because it offers wisdom. I love t because it symbolises life across eons of time, cultures and religions.

 

A recent related post and painting is ON MY TRAVELS I SAW

 

 

BITS AND PIECES

•  COSMIC OUROBOROS is the most visited post on my BLOG
• Since my lucky experience with social networking working at its best ...when Deepak Chopra retweeted Nancy Ellen Abrams tweet about my painting and post COSMIC ADDRESS...it is now the 6th most popular post on my BLOG...even though it was only written in March this year! Very grateful. You can follow me on TWITTER HERE
• COSMIC ADDRESS is the title for my next exhibition  15-10-13 to 27-10-13 at Graydon Gallery, Brisbane. I am really excited about this show.
• My last post LET THERE BE LIGHT is a small online exhibition of selected 'light' inspired paintings. I link them back to my website where other details, including pricing, are listed.

 

Until next time,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT-Small Online Exhibition.

 Halo Oil on linen 82 x 183 cm 2009

 

I am working on a new painting. In the meantime I thought I'd 'curate' an online exhibition of a few of my paintings which 'speak' of light...in all its literal and metaphoric ways.

 

HALO

 

Halo [above] is a painting I have written about a few times. I'll admit to being very fond of this painting. The image of Earth with a 'halo' of atmosphere surrounding it has a few stories attached to it. I painted this on the 25th anniversary of my cousin Dr. Bill From's death on Mt Everest. He was killed when he slipped on an icey patch as he and his climbing mates were descending. More of the details are HERE. Funny thing is, when I painted Halo I was thinking about Bill, but I did not realise it was the month of the anniversairy or his birthday, until I googled his name to see if there was any online news about the attempt to climb Mt Everest.

 

Bill had just completed hi PhD [UQ] in ionospheric physics. He was literally studying Earth's atmosphere.

 

This painting is currently hanging in my lounge room and I love it.

 

 

 

 The Colour Of Knowledge Oil on linen 62 x 82 cm 2009

 

 

THE COLOUR OF KNOWLEDGE

 

The Colour Of Knowledge is another of my favourite pieces [I have lots!] If you want to read more please click HERE.

 

Briefly, the figures of Adam and Eve are central to the visual story. As Eve takes from the tree-of-knowledge antimonies enter the world giving rise to knowledge in the spaces between [eg: good and evil]. Knowedge is illuminatory and revelatory. In this painting knowledge is represented by the colour that cascades from the white light of Adam and Eve's existence prior to Eve taking from the tree-of-knowledge ie: when they could not see their differences. 

 

 

 

 Finding The Light Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm 2010

 

 

FINDING THE LIGHT

 

Here's a quote from my earlier post for this painting:

I have called this painting 'Finding The Light', because it implies a search which results in discovery. 'Light' can represent knowledge, discovery. It can also represent faith. It can represent the Divine. It can represent finding oneself. Coupled with the tree-of-life/knowledge it can represent LIFE.

I have created the 'light' with the small dots which cascade over the woman inside the vortex. This 'light' spills into the trees like veins pulsing through life's membranes.

 

Finding The Light is currently hanging in my guest bedroom and it looks great. There are windows on each side, the walls are painted a soft yellow...and every time I walk past the room and look in, I feel good!

 

 

Becoming The Light oil on linen 160 x120 cm 2012

 

 

BECOMING THE LIGHT

 

Every time I look at this painting I am surprised. Why? Because, it glimmers! A photo does not capture the glimmer and that's a shame. However, I do think that surprising paintings will never reveal their secrets in a photo...otherwise the photo would be the work of art!

 

The female figure, enclosed within a vortex, shimmers with light. As she relishes the peace at the quiet core of the vortex she is ready for illumination. As regular readers will notice my  transcultural/religious tree-of-life plays an important part in the matrix. Its pattern repeats across the painting, revealing energy forces and dynamics which propel and nurture.

 

 Seeking The Light Oil on linen 36 x 36 cm 2012

 

SEEKING THE LIGHT

 

I wrote in an earlier post,  the female figure, representing Mother Nature, seems to attract light. Her arms and feet erupt with vascular-like trees connecting her to whatever energy it is that propels life.

 

This small painting is hanging in a nook in my lounge room. Like the others above, whenever I look at it or it catches my eye, I feel a need to keep looking. It does really 'light up' the nook where it hangs. It seems to move, and as the light of day changes, it changes.

 

 

 The Quiet Fierceness of Light Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm 2012

 

 

QUIET FIERCENESS OF LIGHT

I did have this painting hanging above my dining room table, but it has SOLD. So, it now hangs in a lovely new place. And, it looks great too.

I wrote in an earlier post, In 'Quiet Fierceness of Light' a figure of a woman reaches across the canvas, as if she is straddling the depths of time. A flame of light provides a force which seems to propel her. But she garners this light in the spaces between the branches of the trees which erupt from her arms and legs.

and

The light in 'Quiet Fierceness of Light' is more about the light of knowledge...of ourselves, others and the universe. It is with and through knowledge that we shed light across the pathways of life. The light imbues us with wonder as it calls forth both beckoning and shining the way. Light that beckons is where we find challenge, drawing us towards it. If we are game we meet its glow.

There is more to 'Quiet Fierceness of Light', but I'll leave that to you, the viewer. I leave you to travel your own journey with light!

 The Birth Of Knowledge and Faith Oil on linen 120 x 160 cm

 

 

 THE BIRTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND FAITH

 

This is may artist's statement for the 2012 Mandorla Art Prize, perth, Australia: This painting was selected as one of the finalists.

 

Two transcultural/religious trees-of-life/knowledge emanate from a woman’s outstretched arms and feet. She is the ‘sacred feminine’. In forming a circle she ‘sings’ and ‘dances’ her elemental grace of life continuance. More specifically I was thinking of two biblical women, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, Eve and Mary.

As Eve took from the tree she gave ‘birth’ to Knowledge in the spaces between antimonies. As Mother Mary gave birth to Jesus, the ‘Light of the World’, she also gave birth to Faith.

I imagine that as Eve took from the tree, the world cascaded into the colours and hues that allowed Adam and Eve to ‘see’ each other. I ‘see’ colour as representing Knowledge. In this painting the multi coloured trees and the ‘sacred feminine’ figure are surrounded by halo-like white light. The two trees also meet in a pulse of white. This white light represents Faith.

 

Until next time:
Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

A NOT SO IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: A Short Story About Earth and The Universe.

On The Edge Gouache on paper 43.5 x 53.5 2001

On the edge of the Universe, watching and listening, a magnificent and graceful being ponders her production. The close and far distances of endless horizons wink and twinkle, erupt and explode before her. The cosmic energy reflects in her eyes of light. This entity, which will be called Mother Nature, feels each stroke and blast, stirring her endless life systems, compelling her continual potency. She watches as the Universe seemingly feeds itself in an endless cycle of cannibalistic consumption and growth. Not an orgy, but a gleeful desire to know itself in a ritual of constant self renewal.

The Quiet Fierceness Of Light Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm 2012

Ouroborus Oil on linen 122 x 153 cm 2012

Out of the corner of her eye Mother Nature spies a small planet in the Milky Way, a spiral galaxy of billions of stars and planets, situated within the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. She's kept her eye on this particular planet for some time. Earth. It troubles her. The human beings which inhabit Earth have evolved over eons, but they are in trouble, which both upsets and angers Mother Nature. She had thought her modelling of cyclical consumption and renewal was clear and apparent for all to see. But, many Earthlings consume gluttonously without much thought of renewal. They are stuck, but even worse many do not look beyond immediate horizons to see, and be reflected in, the light of Mother Nature's wisdom. They have lost sight of their place within the cosmic tree-of-life matrix. They have lost connection.

Galaxial Landscape Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm 2010

This loss of perspective worries Mother Nature. She is concerned and feels compassion for those who do not see the light. She fans her furnace ensuring that the light shines brightly, willing Earthlings to attempt to look beyond, as their Ancients did. With constant use of so many gadgets and gizmos, and fashion's incessant seduction, Mother Nature has noticed that increasing numbers of Earthlings have reduced their line of sight to immediate and shallow distances of space and time. They cannot see the light.

Yet there is hope, there are some whose dexterous vision and imaginative powers enables them to quickly change their line of sight from close to far distances. There is even a small number whose sight, both literal and metaphoric, can see multi-perspectives simultaneously. Mother Nature knows this is a particularly handy tool to have in a Universe of so many dimensions. She knows because she is the essence of Universal perspective. She has watched as Earthling scientists have explored the close and far distances of the Universe. She has felt them too. They probe, explore, postulate, theorise, equate, argue, debate and vision. Mother Nature marvels at the scope of their wonder and application. She is proud.

Galactic Horizons and Beyond Oil on linen 85 x 150 cm 2012

She has also watched as science's companion, the arts, attempt to reconnect with the kind of awe and wonder demonstrated by science's marvelous dance with discovery. Somewhere and somehow, as slippery fashion and transient fads easily seduced those with diminished sight, this connection became weak and vulnerable. Mother Nature's wisdom and light, which she'd infused into age-old symbols for humanity's eternal inspiration and sustenance, were obscured. The tools and energy for symbolic articulation between the arts and sciences were seemingly lost. But, the 21st century has brought a glimmer of hope. Mother Nature has happily noticed that there is a strong and powerful calling... a song... a yearning to see the light and reconnect.

Mother Nature's not so impossible dream is that humanity, dancing with wonder and imagination in a shared rhythm across its planet and history, understands its place within the Universal close and far distances of time and space...and more. She knows that this understanding will provide humanity with an important perspective... that planet Earth is its only home, for the foreseeable, and most likely unforeseeable future. Looking after its home is humanity's sacred quest. Understanding its Universal environment is humanity's challenge. The arts and sciences are humanity's lungs. With each inhale and exhale they gift humanity knowledge, understanding, the light of wisdom and a way to vision.

On the edge of the Universe Mother Nature ponders her cosmic production. She wonders how all her other Universes are going. But, that's another story.

Eternity's Breath Oil on linen 85 x 150 cm 2012.

Multiverse Oil on linen 80 x 100 cm 2010

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COSMOLOGY

The doors to my next solo exhibition open Wednesday 30 January at 11 am.

Exhibition Dates: 30 January - 16 February.

PURGATORY ARTSPACE

170 Abbottsford St, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

PH: 61 3 9329 1860

E: purgatoryartspace@gmail.com  

*Private Viewing/Meet The Artist Saturday 9 February 2-4pm

 Please check out my COSMOLOGY page HERE
 

Check out this article
Cosmology- Art as a Conduit Between Science and Humanity

 The paintings above,

Ouroboros, Galactic Horizons and Beyond and Eternity's Breath

will be in COSMOLOGY

Cheers,

Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox

SAP OF LIFE

Sap Of Life Oil on linen 55 x 80 cm

The sap of life? What do I mean by this? Well, sap could mean many things, from the literal to the metaphoric. However, one of the most obvious connotations is water. Regular readers will know of my interest in water! And, indeed this new painting was initially inspired by thoughts of water and its life giving and sustaining qualities. These thoughts were also influenced by major concerns many people have [including myself] about threats, posed by coal seam gas [CSG] extraction and expanding coal mines in Australia and around the world, to above and below ground water systems. I have written about these fears previously. [Links below]

But, rather than paint images of destruction, or potential destruction, I believe images which 'speak' more positively and with beauty, have the power to remind us of what we lose if essential life elements are plundered, poisoned and polluted. This reminder surely galvanises intent more robustly than constant regurgitation of images of destruction, mayhem and disaster. The media very successfully keeps us hooked into these kinds of images anyway! I can see no point in art being part of the regurgative and power neutering process.

With its association to birth, water is symbolic of the Great Mother, the divine feminine, the giver of life. Sap becomes a metaphor for the source of everything, manifested and in potential. And, of course, it perfectly resonates with my love of the transcultural/religious tree-of-life.

Using the tree-of-life motif I have placed the Great Mother, Mother Nature, at the centre of 'Sap of Life'. She is the link, the synapse, between two trees-of-life which erupt from her outstretched arms and feet. Each tree is suggestive of the capillary-like appearance of water systems... and vascular ones. The branches of both trees end in white, creating an almost halo-like appearance. This light represents illumination and a forever connection to something beyond. It's up to the viewer to imagine beyond, into the halo!

In the background, the entire canvas is covered with a dark blue tree, which whispers a universal song of quivering energy. The moon, in its various phases, beckons us into the realms of space, reminding us of the pull of its orbital tracking. Indeed, as our oceans dance to the lunar tune and rhythm we experience impulses from beyond.

A snaking white line ribbons across the cavas, weaving its way through the trees. Have you ever seen a river from the air? This line is a river, both literal and metaphoric, traversing across the 'landscape'. It seems to reflect the moon's light as it flows with meandering purpose. All connected...

PEACE AND QUIET

There are, as I wrote above, many connotations for sap. I'll leave it up to you to come up with more. However, there is one I'd like to mention, mainly because it came to me today when I read a short article in The Australian newspaper. The article written by Margarette Driscoll is about a new book called 'Quiet: The Power Of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain. The book is about research that shows people are more creative when they have time alone. It apparently refutes the benefits of group work, open plan offices etc in business, schools and so on. Well, can I say, from my own experience... I totally agree! I remember  my first experience of group work in grade 4. It was the mid 60s, and from what I can remember, group work was a new and supposedly innovative way to teach. I hated it! My first feeling of being totally sapped!

The last paragraph of The Australian article is a quote from Cain's book, "Anyone who has ever needed noise-cancelling headphones in her own office or marked an online calendar with a fake meeting in order to escape yet another real one knows what I'm talking about," brings back memories of me sitting in evening prep at boarding school, with ear phones on to keep out the constant chatter and noise created by a hall full of teenage girls, inadequately supervised by young mistresses! I remember the Head Mistress came in one night and I was hauled out of prep with accusations that I was listening to music. Far from it...all I wanted was peace and quiet! I recall the Head Mistress was somewhat chastened when I told her I was wearing ear muffs, that my parents had bought me, because the noise in prep was so distracting. Thank goodness I am an artist and can have peace and quiet, and be on my own whenever I want [well apart from the demands of being a parent as well]!

Peace, quiet and alone time...sap of life!

PREVIOUS BEAUTY POSTS

BEAUTY

BEAUTY AND THE VORTEX

BEAUTY AS A PORTAL

BEAUTY GIVES HOPE A CHANCE

PREVIOUS WATER POSTS

WATER LANDSCAPES

WATER

CURRENCY

AIRSPACE AND PHANTOMS   [This post is the most popular one on my BLOG!]

WATER GALLERY

MURRAY DARLING CURRENCY

Just a reminder that my book launch for 'For Everyone: Words and Paintings' is Thursday 23 February! Click HERE for more details.

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NEXT SOLO EXHIBITION

QUIVER

'Sap Of Life' [above] will be in my next solo exhibition QUIVER 18 - 29 April

Graydon Gallery, Merthyr Rd, New Farm, Brisbane

Open daily 10am - 6pm

Other paintings which will be in QUIVER are: There will others too.

Elemental Dance

Out There Somewhere

Perpetual Beginning

Breathing Across Time

Quiet Fierceness Of Light

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

QUIET FIERCENESS OF LIGHT

Quiet Fierceness of Light Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm

This new painting Quiet Fierceness of Light was inspired by a recent work on paper Firmament which is below. Yet, as I painted Quiet Fierceness of Light other things happened. It posed a number of impasses for me, as it challenged me with questions, articulated through dilemmas of aesthetics and conversations with myself. I wanted to create a feeling of a calling, the kind that whispers to us when we least expect it. The kind of calling that moves us past what we know to places where the unknown provokes us to wonder...and discover new knowledge about ourselves and the world.

Regular readers will know that light features in a number of my paintings [I have provided links below]. I love the frisson which quivers in the connections that link the scientist's wonder of light with the philospher's and spiritualist's. The frisson is highly charged!

In Quiet Fierceness of Light a figure of a woman reaches across the canvas, as if she is straddling the depths of time. A flame of light provides a force which seems to propel her. But she garners this light in the spaces between the branches of the trees which errupt from her arms and legs. These trees, regular readers will know, are my interpretation of the age-old transcultural/religious tree-of-life symbol. They have various possible meanings. They can be 'read' as roots issuing forth from her feet and branches from her hands, or representations of life systems such as the vascular and lymphatic, or cross sections of internal organs such as the brain or kidney. Yet, we can go further and see them as representative of any kind of life giving system such as above and below ground water systems. For me, in this painting, they both emit and garner energy connecting all life across all dimensions.

The background of the entire painting is formed by one tree which cascades across the canvas. Like ripples it suggests another layer of life's propulsion. It seems to embrace all direction, all space and beyond, possibly indicating the primordial template/system of life in the multiverse.

The red circle, with the light emanating from it, may be the sun, the source of literal light broadcasting across our daytime. Yet, light as a metaphor struggles to penetrate our psyches when the darkness of sameness erodes confidence amd strangles wonder. The light in Quiet Fierceness of Light is more about the light of knowledge...of ourselves, others and the universe. It is with and through knowledge that we shed light across the pathways of life. The light imbues us with wonder as it calls forth both beckoning and shining the way. Light that beckons is where we find challenge, drawing us towards it. If we are game we meet its glow.
There is more to Quiet Fierceness of Light, but I'll leave that to you, the viewer. I leave you to travel your own journey with light!

Firmament Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

LIGHT

Sending Love
Halo
Finding
Becoming The Light
Colour Of Knowledge

WHAT I AM READING

I am currently reading Fire In The Belly: On Being a Man by Sam Keen. It was published in 1991/92 so is twenty years old. It is a fascinating insight into men! I have read the first four chapters where Keen analyses the role of WOMAN in the male psyche. He writes WOMAN in capital letters to differentiate the Goddess/Mother Nature entity from the woman of flesh and blood. He investigates how men need to find distance in order to embrace and love. I am really looking forward to reading the entire book. Keen writes beautifully eg: When writing about WOMAN- 'She has been an inevitable symbol of divinity since the beginning of time and remains a sacred presence in the timeless dimension of every psyche.' How about that for creating pictures with words and transporting the reader to places beyond!

Fire In The Belly: On Being a Man A Bantam Book USA 1991 

WHAT I HAVE JUST READ

I have just finished A Hatful Of Cherries by Felix Calvino. This is a wonderful collection of short stories, written by Calvino, who was born in Spain, but now lives here in Brisbane! Each story drew me in and I felt a connection to the characters. I felt so sad for Basilio and his wife. Really loved the ‘Ghosts on The Beach’ too. ‘Silvia’ was such a measured story, belying the strangeness of the two men sharing a mistress.The story about quitting smoking was painful to read, but gripping. I felt his frustration...and I have never smoked! The ‘Detour’ story has a film in it I am sure! Calvino's endings are really great, because he makes them astonishing, even when they are about ordinary happenings.

I also liked the way Calvino moved from stories set in Spain, to those set in Australia. It provided a rhythm that was punctuated every now and then...like jazz! I could not read more than two stories at one time, because I liked how they stayed with me for awhile.

One of the short stories Unfinished Thoughts has been made into a short movie, which has won and been nominated for a number of awards. Click HERE for more information.

I highy receommend A Hatful Of Cherries
A Hatful Of Cherries Arcadia Australia 2007

SOME INTERESTING SITES I'VE FOUND

I recommend  Everybody Means Something: Words, Values and Identities Explored  This is a BLOG with some very thoughtful posts.

Charter For Compassion  I have been a member of this site for some time. It was inspired by Karen Armstrong, who is a 'provocative, original thinker of the role of religion in the modern world' . Check out her TED site. I've read her book The Spiral Staircase. It is just one of her many books.

I read this provocatively titled article recently, Infinite Stupidity It is a talk with Mark Pagel who is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Professor of Evolutionary Biology. He is Head of the Evolution Laboratory at the University of Reading.

Did you know there is a Global Peace Index ? I met Steve Killelea, the man who founded the organisatin Vision For Humanity a few years ago, at a conference at the Univeristy of Queensland. At the time the idea for a Peace Index was new. But, Steve Killelea is a very passionate man and within a year of the UQ conference the Peace Index was up and running.

I also discovered recently that there is a Corruption Index!

Other interesting sites are listed in the LINKS tab on the right column of this BLOG!

'FOR EVERYONE: WORDS AND PAINTINGS'

My BOOK!

Please click HERE for more information

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

 

 

INFINITY

Infinity Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm

Well, I am back on computer deck! My new system seems to be pretty good. But, my head hurts with all the new things and new ways of working. But, I am on top of it!

My new painting above is called Infinity. My much loved transcultural/religious tree-of-life radiates at each end of a central vortex, which encircles the figure of a woman [humanity]. The two trees are connected to each other and beyond. Each tree is encircled with illuminating light, the top tree with multiple new trees painted in yellow and the bottom tree extended by a yellow 'halo'. Yet, if the viewer follows the curve of each tree across the vortex a figure 8 is revealed. On its side this figure symbolises infinity.

The trees-of life also represent life continuing...forever...in one form or another! Indeed, we humans may be just a blip in the universal/multiversal continuum? The vortex, which regular readers will know, is another of my major interests. More so, the quiet place inside the vortex where stillness pervades with essential forces that allow us to see, hear and feel things we did not could be seen, heard or felt. A place of listening. In this new painting this place of listening is at a cross roads...if you can 'see' the figure 8.

Cross roads have all sorts of associations, but generally they represent choice, whether it be a literal direction or not. Arriving at a metaphoric cross road can be frightening, which often means we don't take the time to settle into the quiet stillness of the vortex core. Instead we thrash around in the turmoil of the outer vortex. This is a time when we often experience the 'dark night of the soul'

I have previously written about this dark night, but not in a wollowing way. Instead, I added the word 'beyond' ie: Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul, to give some hope of being able to pass through the experience http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2009/11/beyond-dark-night-of-soul.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/04/painting-above-is-called-beyond-dark.html

Infinity also contains a portal...regular readers will know I like them too!. The portal is created by the circle of blue leaves which seems to invite the viewer inside...or is it outside?

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/02/portal.html 

CSG

Public concern about the coal seam gas industry has increased incredibly here in Australia in the last few months. Regular readers will know of my thoughts! The concern is now not predominantly from rural areas, but also from the city and eastern seaboard. There have been a number of peaceful protests in the last week. Check out:
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/human-signs-against-csg-20110529-1fabx.html
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/qld-rally-targets-coal-seam-gas-industry-20110531-1fedq.html

Please read my previous post to pick up two more articles, one written by a biochemist refuting the claim that gas is more environmentally friendly than carbon. The other article is written by an environmental lawyer. He makes some very pertinent comments about the consultative process, cumulative issues and future generations. http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/05/hiatus.html

And my GAS GALLERY
http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/05/gas-gallery.html

My personal opinion is that if things do not change, issues surrounding the CSG industry will see some of the most vehement protesting and public outrage Australia has seen. Why, because if food, water and the environment are under threat people's basis instincts for survival are threatened. Recent incidences such as a gas well blow out on a property at Daandine [not far from where I grew up] certainly cause major worry. The media, across the country, is now also reporting on such issues.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/qld-farmer-worried-about-gas-leak-on-land-20110523-1f063.html

PARADISE
Just a reminder that my exhibition 'Paradise' at Purgatory Artspace in Melbourne is 8 Sept -8 Oct. Opening Friday 9 September.

 

Paradise Oil on linen 62 x 82 cm

Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com