daniel

The painting reflects on the story of Daniel in the Lions Den, while also dealing with the idea of Universal Balance.  In Daniel and the Lions Den, Daniel comes out of the den unharmed. This painting reflects that story with the lion attacking Daniel in the open, and Daniel's acceptance of change and the possibility of not-being. When trying to escape an unwanted changed, and that change is inevitable, there is a moment of submission, of acceptance. The lion leaps on top of the pursued, its claws invading and claiming possession.

This artwork also deals with balance, of yin-yang, male-female, sun-moon, agression-submission, all terms describing fundamentally the same idea. Submission and dominance, night and day, harmony and discord, birth and death, all 2 parts of one idea that can not exist without the other are seen in this painting.  When the opposites of one idea intersects upon itself, it creates change, movement, and the illusion of time. This is the moment of being, into the acceptance of not-being, which results into being once again. This is the nature of movement through what we perceive as space.

In this artwork the lion, an object of beauty, with her mouth creating an entrance to the sky and the unlimited void of death and eternity with the stars shining beyond (this also being the gateway to rebirth), surrounded by universal swirls of hair representing the movement of eternity which we process as time, claims dominance over daniel. This dominace is also suggested of sexuality, the lion's entrance from behind into daniel, the creation of life through the ‪Vesica Piscis‬ eye whose witness to life creates it indirectly. The Vesica Piscis eye directly observes the viewer of the artwork, validating their existence, through the viewers own recognition of it. A beautiful exchange of the viewer who exists with limited awareness; and the eye, which in this painting does exists through symbol but without awareness, even though awareness is cast upon it by the viewer. The entire painting (and some would argue the one who views the artwork) is born outwardly from the eye, creating the exquisite illusion.

The lion's eyes are focused on daniel.  One eye of daniel is closed, moments before realizing the entrance of the claws before closing...it is now focused inward and therefore through the all of the Vesica Picis.  The other eye of daniel still being in its existence gently views the viewer, accepting their witness.  Two eyes on the viewer, two eye gaze within the non-existence of the painting itself.

My legal first name is Daniel, this is a partial self portrait, the catalyst for this painting was my divorce.