Small section of watercolor. Does this make you curious?
I would enjoy hearing other people's stories about this piece - what they think is happening, how they feel. Viewers could think of it as "sandbox therapy", faerie garden, or as similar to watching a fish tank.
My abridged journal notes are below, for those who want a little brain gym (perceiving the details I point out in my notes).
Perspective, With Gecko
8 3/10" x 11 6/10" watercolor, white gesso, & graphite on paper
June 2016
For at least 20 years, I have wanted to show Indra's Net in some form of 2D art. Imagine 20 years of trying to envision it as something other than a net (because that's too obvious). Indian traffic - from a tuk-tuk or a bicycle - is the closest I'm come to such a vision. Riding in traffic is one of my favorite things to do in India. I did this painting to express how I feel in it. But instead of tuk-tuks & goats, I chose objects with symbolic content.
Before we look at the symbols, let's imagine - for your scientific brain - that we are both in downward motion & suspended from above by something else in downward motion, presumably with a mass/materials differential. Just like in the painting. Think about gravity, wind speed, & any external factors that affect angles & depth perception. Think about lighting.
> Can you tell if the red Macaw-feather bowl (top right corner) is underneath whatever is suspending that basket? If it's not shaded, then which side of the basket is it on? How narrow does that indicate the "balloon" is?
> Why are some objects tilted more than others?
> Which forces is his mustache responding to? Is he wearing mustache wax, or did he just this moment thrust his head downward to look into the telescope, much like birders do into their 'scopes? Which direction is he traveling?
> Is gravity operating here as we expect? Which elements in the painting suggest that it's not? Do all the elements agree?
> Why do the leaning of the man & the clinging & wiggling of the gecko cause their vessels to tilt?
> How heavy is each suspended object? How would it move (ex., straight down? wafting? listing?)?
> What factors would influence how it moves? [Hint: the amphora & the elephant might be approximately the same weight & have the same wind resistance vectors.] All of the factors (ex., whether or not external weight is applied & whether it's leaning or wriggling, shape & height-to-width ratio of vessels) are influenced by a host of other factors (ex., the unit of flowers from which each is suspended, the manner of suspension - cord angles, attachments & materials - tensile strength & elasticity of the cords, wind speed & direction, microdisturbances).
> The birds are, of course, exempt from the abovementioned factors, but must abide by those factors that affect aviation.
OK, now for your literary brain....
The Symbols
Most of the objects are different from one another, to show diversity & uniqueness. Even the elephant, though clearly a familiar type of ceramic vessel, is non-standard in several ways. The tilt of its head, the soupçon that it is decorated, as well as the natural positions of the feet & trunk all contribute to the slight questioning whether or not this object is familiar. Of trying to understand what you are looking at. This moves you into the appropriate mindframe for viewing the painting.
Then there's the hilarity of an elephant (presumably full of water) floating, suspended from a bunch of super-floofy flowers. None of this makes sense. This piece asks the viewer to suspend certainty about gravity & everything else. This is one thing that quantum physics asks us to do. Its word to express the idea shown in this painting is "entanglement". I would love to name it that, but I don't want you to worry about the "air balloon" lines tangling ;P
> Peregrine Falcon -
a). One of Indra's two animal companions. Indra is the Hindu deva of rain & thunderstorms. His other mount is a white elephant. He has a long, crazy mustache. Who in the painting has a long, crazy mustache? Do you see a white elephant?
b). I love the word "peregrination".
> Scarlet Macaw - Noise. Because it can be kind of noisy out here in the field of possibility ;P Besides, the amrit bowl is made of Scarlet Macaw feathers.
> Field of Possibility - Essentially the same as Indra's Net, or the Matrix. This term is from quantum physics. Example in this painting: What are the chances of a huge, up-close pansy being in the precise spot to frame the telescope, hands, & face just when we were looking at them?
> Gecko - To me as an individual, Gecko symbolizes the multiplicity of life forms & the astonishing resourcefulness of Nature. Check out the anatomically-correct hairs on the bottoms of its feet. Gecko can climb any surface & is terribly cute. Most importantly, it is the perfect weird & random creature to be found clinging to pottery...in the sky. As a lifelong natural history buff, I thought of many names for this new gecko species. Do you ever do that? I put an "eye" on its belly, a tribute to Nature's amazing adaptations. Think about it. It would be an effective adaptation to avoid predation. It comes complete w/ a faux "glint of light" on the eyeball! It's rare that Nature displays such asymmetry in design. That's why I made it up. Evolution - the Great Tinkerer in Nature's Garage - is an amazingly custom process. Plus I needed something to cling to the outside of a tilting, ceramic vessel. Only Gecko.
> Amrit (in red feather-bowl) - The quasi-mythical "divine nectar" from Hindu & Sikh traditions. It first appeared in print between 1700 & 1100 BC. The "drink of the deities," similar to the Greek ambrosia, but also available to humans in certain tantric practices. I put amrit with the man's balloon as viaticum (food for a pilgrimmage), so he will never be thirsty or hungry. Moreover, excellent nutrition prepares the body to receive the energies of higher consciousness. Embedded in this image is the idea that the voyager has everything he needs, & "the gods will provide" everything else. This makes our voyager an image of someone fulfilled in their life & ready to ask for higher spiritual gifts (such as love in one's heart).
> Gem (they're iridescent) @ center of each flower - Clear reference to Indra's Net, which is big enough to cover the entire universe. At each juncture of threads, there's a gem w/ so many facets that it reflects & refracts every single other gem in the Net. From the Indian Buddhist tradition, this represents interdependent origination, interconnection, & karma / cause & effect.
> Moon Pearl - This is at the center of the pansies. The man is looking at it. From Chinese tradition, the Moon Pearl represents the penultimate spiritual enlightenment. The Chinese dragon is often shown chasing it, a common allegory in Chinese culture. The dragon represents the scholar/seeker who perpetually strives for improvement, insight, & so forth. In the allegory, the dragon never catches the Moon Pearl, but will never give up trying. Persistence & humble sincerity are the qualities that this story seeks to develop.
> Johnny Jump-ups - This is a specific type of pansy. Due to their common name, they make terrific hot air balloons.
> White elephant: Indra's mount.
> Glass vessels - Beauty & fragility. Plus I wanted to experiment with reflective light opportunities.
> Amphora - I'm fascinated by amphoras, their use throughout history, their use to maritime archaeologists, and other endearing traits. Their shape is so simple & beautiful. They are the archetypal vessel. The ultimate servant (in the sense of service/seva/sat karma). We can discern that this scene took place prior to the 7th Century BCE, when the one-piece amphora quickly replaced the neck amphora ;P
Here's a stanza from Victor Hugo's poem "The Marble Faun":
"Hid in the wood, methought a ghostly voice
Came forth and woke an echo in my soul
As in the hollow of an amphora."
> Sight path of our voyager's eye - Eye, eyepiece, lens, subject being viewed: what do they have in common? Is there anything else in the painting that shares that quality?
> Telescope - Discovery, seeking, adventure, preparation, trust, curiosity, inquiry, learning, seeing. Look at what's immediately in front of the the telescope lens, made visible by the dark petal behind it. A disturbance. This is to show that the act of observing - & certainly of intently focusing - changes the observed. {Quantum physics' wave-particle behavior discovery.}
> The Tamil writing on the pottery vessel says "Success" or "Winner". How do you see that in the context of this painting? I wonder what the man's basket is suspended from...
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