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When you look at this picture what do you see? To me it seems like the cat and dog are each wondering what the other is looking at, while the hawk is either playing a trick on them... or trying to get your attention. Whatever it is, it's clear that no one is seeing the same thing. That's also true in general. Ask two people to describe the same painting, movie, or event, and you'll most likely hear different stories. Depending on who they are, their life experience, personality, one will see details that the other won't and vice versa.
The more I work on this project the more I realize that there's always more to see and understand. It's been so many years since I started, I tend to forget that this is why I drew these pairs of opposites in the first place. I wanted to know what I didn't know. Why? Because, as Jung said, "until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." Well, I didn't want my life to be run by this invisible hawk anymore. Do you?
My thought was, if I draw what I "see" (intuitively, not literally) and reverse every element into its opposite with another drawing, then that should show me the "other" side. You know, all those unacceptable traits and qualities that were swept under the rug when growing up. Most often it takes another person to tell us what these are (friend, partner, therapist), but sometimes words are not enough (or some things may be too hard to say). So an image can be quite useful. Better yet when it moves and comes with music.
I've got four new animated cards on my website, check them out (eight more to go)! |
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I've been wanting to make a portrait of Felix for some time now. Long overdue! Last month was one year since he's been with me, I had to celebrate the moment.
In the photo I used for the painting he's standing at a window, but I wanted something more interesting for the background. Since I've started taking him outside (on a leash), I thought an outdoor scene would be good. And his mysterious smile sparked the idea of using the background of the Mona Lisa as a kind of a joke.
By the way, there's a fantastic series on Youtube called Great Art Explained. When I got this idea I'd just seen the video on the Mona Lisa. Worth a watch if you can, it fits right with the theme of this email, the art of seeing... |
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