(The Art Vault, Mildura 2014)

Cathedrals

 

Trees

 

Trees and Cathedrals: Looking Upwards

This is an exhibition about my journeys, my migrations. Like the birds heading for the North at the end of summer in the South, I too leave for the Spring of the North. It is a time of returning back to my roots to relish my heritage and appreciate my origin, my lineage, that gives the anchor one needs to endure the storms of change in life. It is the time of the year for me for self-exploration, renewal of energy and a time for new growth.

The images of Cathedrals represent my life in the North and the images of the Trees represent my life in the South.

Cathedrals

When in the North I look up with amazement and admiration at the architecture of Cathedrals which expresses a human ideal. The church dome is an earthy representation of the sky, like a universal umbrella it is uniting all factions of life into a single whole, whereas the cloisters facing the four directions symbolise the four seasons of man’s life and the tree in the middle relates to the journey of life.

Trees

Like the cross the tree is a universal symbol representing the axes of the world which joins heaven and earth and yet holds them a part. The tree is also a world image. Its roots are in the depth of the earth, in contact with the underworld and waters. The trunk grows into the light and into the world of time and records the time. From the trunk the branches spread out and upwards, heavenwards. The tree is a symbol of regeneration and resurrection. It mediates between the three worlds, under, here, and heaven.