Tag: Symbols

Time in a Scale relates to a good friend and our good time together. We had just graduated from the School of Visual Arts and dreamed of having an exhibit in Soho, the mecca for us. Well, it was not because I never had a series of paintings that could represent me.

I met Carolina at the School of Visual Arts after graduation. She posed for me in a couple of paintings. She sits in the back on this theme, posing in despair; Latin countries were going through a dry time regarding drug lords. And the USA declared them as the first drug smugglers. I recalled her feeling shame from being of Colombian heritage, and I used to tell her not to, but it was in vain.

I meant to pose her as being in a reflective mood. But then, as I added objects around her, the painting came out sad. Moreover, the brown ground feels hostile, and nature reflects the state of danger we treat it. This is a non-living place to be. So then, she added a melancholy state of mind that bounces back and forth with the scale.

I brought her to help me at a gallery in Manhattan, where we were making copies for an Asian artist whose work was sent to the Taipei Museum in Taiwan,

However, she did not like New York’s cold weather and returned to her beloved Florida. Their parents disagreed with me living with her. So, I was the bridge for her to break their rules. In the end, we had a great time. But, then and now, it did change for good. Then, in time, we grow more vital to remember and celebrate it.

The Scale, 24″ X 18″ oil on canvas 2017

video Link

The Scale

Hey, not the Dali Lama; that caught my attention. It was his shoes. In the winter, New York is too harsh to wear sandals. And does not do much for him. Nepal is far away colder than ours. It is the altitude in addition to it. But just like us, we acclimated to the weather in time.

Furthermore, recalling my time working at Soho. In charge of the New Art Word Center by mistake. I shut off the elevator. Where the real Dalai Lama had to use the staircases coming down. I recalled the gallery owner telling me the old man was too tired. He smiles at me, not knowing who he is. I care less. Years later, the memory persisted, and finding out about his background was like meeting the pope. A spiritual figure of the world. I’m not a devoted person who attends church every Sunday. And I still believe in the people’s good faith and the existence of something bigger than us.

Although the subject is comical, it represents a memory of a precious time when innocence and the search for creativity flourished. I still do; therefore, I felt compelled to recreate this image in a painting.

The symbols are in the persona wearing a tunic from Tibet. The clues are in the details. It is expected to find different characters in this metropolitan area. However, what we may see is fascinating.
In the end, we find our memory positively having a retrospection. And that is the beauty of life. Something affects our minds.
Thinking in solitude, we suddenly remember a past moment in life.

In conclusion, it was exciting then and has become a meaningful epiphany.

“Buddha” 20″ x 16″ Oil on Canvas

Our channel here

“The Vision” appeals to the psychological relationship between life and death. Moreover, it depicts colorful ghostly figures and bluish-grey death bodies. They are hanging as a reminder of the connection between both worlds. We continue to live as if they did not exist. But many of us who have lost a loved one know that our souls never dissolve into nothingness. On the contrary, our spirits continue to exist.

Symbols on this subject present a narrative story. The first figure in front of us wears an evil mask. The red color is euphoric, temperamental, mad, hungry; you name it. Either is the punisher or the savior. This refers to people who use roundabout words to hurt you later. On the other side, the flag he beholds is waving victory. This translation is about government manipulation and contradictions.

Moreover, the hanged are the victims of their neglected society. On the right side, there is a window with two dark figures. They were gazing at the people in the plaza and perhaps rejoicing in their victory.

I wanted to create a subject between dreams and reality. Therefore, I used blurry colors to depict another dimension. Indeed, we are free spirits, flowing and levitating, searching for an answer.
The entrance underneath is the bridge to cross to the other realm. And since our paradox relies upon faith. We know physically that young kids will enter heaven without conditions. But only some of us will get there, following the right path.

Ultimately, the whole scene celebrates the dead as part of our life—the eternity of heaven, which, in the end, culminates in an insatiable encounter between reality and fantasy. And to conclude, in search of a new spiritual well-being feeling.

“The Vision” Size 68″ x 50″ Oil on Canvas 1995

Follow our channel here