Boann: Transformation of a Goddess

My latest piece titled Boann: transformation of a Goddess is completed. It was part of a commission that began almost a year ago. The process of completing the work was rather demanding but ultimately inspiring. The research, meditation, and painting process itself all became fuel for many more projects that are now been developed. And, yes, there are some new abstract pieces on the horizon for those who have been inquiring!

This painting depicts the transformation of Boann, of the Tuatha De Danann, into the River Boyne. The story of Boann is a fascinating one. There are several interpretations and, as is often the case with Celtic mythology, they often contradict each other. Here is the story based on my research and how it assembled itself after meditating on it:

Boann’s husband was Nechtan, who was keeper of the sacred well Segais (the Well of Wisdom). Around the well grew nine magical hazel trees, from which grew magical crimson hazelnuts. The nuts fell into the well feeding the five colorful salmon that lived inside the well. Each salmon represented wisdom obtained through the five senses and had distinctive crimson spots on their bellies from eating the hazelnuts. All, but Nectan and his assistants, were forbidden to approach the well.

This restriction irked Boann, and she decided one day to approach the well. To spite her husband, whom she believed greedily coveted the well, Boann approached the well counter clockwise. But what she didn’t know is that the well itself had specific conditions in which one could gaze into it. One must approach clockwise three times before looking straight and steadily into the well or one’s eyes would burst from the power of the wisdom contained within.

Boann peered cautiously into the well, which caused the water to rise angrily and it took one of her eyes. Because she approached the well counter clockwise, she had further angered the waters and so the well erupted with a torrent. Boann fled from the rushing waters losing an arm and a leg before the angry waters reached the sea, leaving behind a 70 mile long river, now called the Boyne River.

Having lost one eye, one arm, and one leg, Boann was transformed. She existed from that point on somewhere half in and half out of the physical world. She became the soul of the river, but also something much more powerful. For when she released the waters of Segais, she freed the salmon of knowledge into the world. Now humans had access to the wisdom reserved only for the gods. Anyone who ate the flesh of the salmon, instantly possessed the knowledge they contained.

Boann then became the patron goddess of poetic and spiritual inspiration. Her influence bridges the gap in the wisdom of mind to allow the feminine nature in each of us to stream into our being. Her sacrifice represents the transformation of the self that is required for wisdom to enter. Her essence is present in all rivers. To call upon her, one must simply invoke her name while sitting next to a river and listen with a clear mind and an open soul. Her gift of wisdom will transform you!

The original has been sold. But prints and greeting cards are now available!

DoAn
(Image "Boann: Transformation of a Goddess" by DoAn. Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.)

In the Heart of the Forest

The path leads into the forest. This is the first forest, the primeval forest that existed before humans. Here is where dreams lived before they found a home in the minds of slumbering humans. Myth and fairy tale call this enormous, dark and dangerous wood home...

This is not a new piece, but it has just been added to my Fine Art America page and is available for prints.

This is the edge of the first forest. What is hidden just on the other side of those trees. Unicorns, fairies, witches, nightmares? There is only one way to find out. Take a step inside and see for yourself...

You can view print options here at my Fine Art America page.

Beag: the keeper of the well of wisdom is published!

Emerging Visions, an e-zine for visionary art, edited by Laurie Corzett, has posted its LeapDay Issue on the theme of ImagiNation, and I am happy to announce that my painting, Beag; the keeper of the well of wisdom, was selected to illustrate the issue. Please take a moment to check out the poetry, essays, flash fiction and visual art by the other talented artists and writers.

The Transformation Begins

Back in 2007 I completed my first watercolor painting on watercolor canvas, which was entitled Boann: Goddess of the River.

All during work on this piece, I experienced fluctuating emotions, which were sometimes very powerful and often unsettling. I would feel very sad, then very agitated. I didn't attempt to analyzye the emotions, I just figured I needed to feel what I was feeling and I would gain some insight after it was over. Once I had finished the painting, I decided I should do some more research into the goddess Boann. I was surprised to find, what I had thought was a obscure, rather minor goddess was actually quite profound and rather powerful. Since I completed that first painting, I knew I would need to create another painting featuring Boann. I set it aside for a while, working on some other gods, and some commission work. I felt like I needed to allow a little distance between me and "Boann". Then I went to FaerieCon in Philadelphia back in October. I hoped to get some more research about Faeries and the Tuatha Dé Danann for my series as well as meet other artists and talk to them about their work and marketing, etc.

After FaerieCon, I went back home with renewed energy and started working on Boann. I have been working on this painting ever since. I did an initial sketch for a composition that I thought would work, and what I found developing was a fusion of abstract and representational styles. First I drew the waves, which became the twining of river plants, then a swirling black hole, then out of those things came a face and a rocky well. I knew enough of Boann's story that she had opened a forbidden well releasing the waters of wisdom, which chased her across Ireland and eventually swallowed and drowned her.

One day, during sketching, a salmon appeared in the drawing. I thought that was odd, so I decided I needed to learn more about Boann. It seems there is a whole deeper story about what Boann did when she released the waters from the well. Surrounding the well grew nine magical hazel trees, on which grew hazel nuts. These hazel nuts fell into the well and fed a salmon that lived in the well. As the salmon ate the nuts, it became magical as well. When Boann released the waters, she also released the salmon. There are stories about people trying to catch the salmon, so that they would gain wisdom from eating its flesh. There are different stories about who actually caught the salmon. There are also stories that suggest there was more than one salmon. After this event, Boann became, not just a river goddess, but also the goddess of spiritual insight and divine wisdom. She brought mystical knowledge to humanity. Through her curiousity and refusal to accept the restrictive rules of her husband, she allowed humanity to achieve a higher state of awareness. She is, therefore, a powerful deity for poets and spiritual seekers. Knowing this gave me a much deeper understanding about why I connected so strongly to this painting.

The more I worked on it, the more I felt that my art revolved around spiritual exploration and knowledge. I think this has been happening all along, but suddenly, I was consciously aware of this process. Working on this painting has been very challenging. It is emotionally hard at times and often very draining. I believe that I need to cultivate the proper energy physically and spiritually in order to engage fully on the piece. Until then, I can only work a few hours at a time on it, then I need some space from it to recharge. I am working on improving my diet and incorporating yoga back into my life to help with building this energy. During those "resting" times, I work on new sketches and smaller pieces of work. It seems that Boann is part of a trio of goddesses, each belonging to a river in Ireland, all with a very similar story. I am developing work on these other goddesses, as well as some other pieces. I completed a drawing of the Boann painting which is posted above. Drawing the composition first helps me with understanding the values (shades of black, gray and white) that are important. It also gives me the opportunity to play around with the composition itself a little. The painting will look quite different than the drawing. Not just because the painting will be colored, but because the medium (ink and watercolor) evokes an entirely different emotional expression than drawing with pencil does. I will be posting the drawings and smaller pieces as I develop them. The larger final paintings will take some more time.

OTHER NEWS

Fine Art Prints

As I mentioned late last year, I will be doing more work which can later be made into prints. I have already gotten orders for greeting cards from my Four Seasons of Fox paintings. I print and hand assemble the cards myself in my studio. The prints for my larger paintings were another matter. I found some good quality print on demand printers that will post my work on their website. People can go to the website and order prints, mats and frames. One of the artists at FaerieCon said that the quality was quite good. I took several of my paintings to an image specialist, had them scanned and have posted them to the website. You can now begin to order prints of my work at: Fine Art America and find my webpage under DoAn Art.

Residencies

As a result of my work on the series of paintings based on the Tuatha Dé Danann, I have developed a deeper understanding of the spiritual nature of my work. Working from a spiritual center requires a huge amount of focus and energy, which is often very challenging and exhausting when juggling several other jobs. I have decided that during 2008-2009 I will be devoting a lot of time to attending artists residencies and retreats in order to produce more work without interruption. I believe, in order to grow as an artist, to really develop the work that I believe needs to be created I need a separate environment to work in for a while. I believe my art can actually be a tool in helping people to reconnect to their spiritual nature and to the natural world.

This will be largely possible through the support of my Patrons, and people like you who appreciate my work. I greatly appreciate your help and support--no matter if it is monetary, emotional, or otherwise. Over the next several months I will be downsizing my personal belongings, transferring them into cash for living. Obviously support through purchase of my art, both original and prints, will be helpful. Additionally, you can make donations through Fractured Atlas: DoAn Art. Ask me or check out the Fractured Atlas* site for more details. I am also in the midst of applying to some grants to assist me in funding for supplies and living expenses while I am at the residencies. I will keep you posted on the development of all these things!

As always, thank you so much for your interest and support!

DoAn

DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

New Paintings & Greeting Cards

Hello All and Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I took some time off, stayed in and did a lot of meditating, some yoga, and some inward reflection so that I can start the new year with renewed energy and a stronger focus on my art.

Since I have been focusing a lot of my artwork on using inks. I came up with a small series of paintings utilizing images of foxes on aquaboard and colored inks. The results are what appear to be watercolors on paper, but are much more durable and longer lasting than watercolors or a work on paper would be.

Back when I started working on these pieces, I had been chased with images of foxes. Some in my dreams, others just popping up randomly in books, or tv programs.
I had a fondness for foxes when I was younger, so I thought the fox would be a good subject to explore again.

For my research I examined different kinds of foxes and how they relate to the natural world and in mythology and spiritual lore.

The first painting I did was the Autumn Fox. This is represented by the Red Fox. Autumn in Celtic lore was considered the time when the line between the living world and the otherworld was the thinnest. People were better able to commune with those who had crossed over to the otherworld at this time. The fox because of it's illusive nature, is often associated with magic, and supernatural abilities. It's most active times are during dawn and dusk, the "in-between-times", and therefore, a natural emissary representing the borderlands between this and the otherworld.

The next painting was Winter Fox. This painting is represented by the Arctic Fox, who is the master of camouflage. In the warmer months, the Arctic fox comes in a range of colors from chocolate brown to charcoal black. As winter approaches, it sheds its dark fur for a thick white coat. The fox (no matter which species) is a master of camouflage, being able to vanish, practically right before your eyes. The Arctic fox is the master of invisibility, being able to disappear right into a snow bank.

The third painting I did was of the Spring Fox. I chose the Gray Fox to represent spring. I have always held the Gray Fox to be one of my favorites. It is a very quiet, shy creature. It is the only fox that can climb trees. Here I drew a fox in the branches of a flowering cherry tree. In spiritual lore, the fox is represented by the World card in the tarot deck. The fox represents that the world is growing and shaping itself into new beneficial patterns. Spring is the time of year where the potential for all things begins to manifest. The gray fox standing on a tree branch in spring bloom, seemed like the perfect image to represent that.

Lastly, the Summer Fox. Represented here by the swift fox. It is one of the smaller species of fox. It occupies the drier regions of North America. There is another fox called a kit fox, which some argue might be just a smaller breed of swift fox. They look nearly identical, with some slight variations in ear size and body weight. Summer is a time of heat and activity. The legs of the fox are adapted for running. It requires a great amout of stamina, and fox can trot along for a long time without appearing exhausted. The swift fox, by name, seems to embody this idea of energy very well. Also, the swift and the kit foxes have very large ears. They are designed to help rid the body of excess heat, another adaption to address the hot months of summer. This painting depicts a swift fox, trotting along in a field.

January & February is usually devoted to my meditation stroke paintings. I will be discussing the process and posting new stroke paintings in the next couple entries to keep an eye out for those. In addition to the stroke paintings I will be continuing to develop work on my series From Beyond the Ninth Wave.

It should be an exciting year!

Happy Holidays!

I hope this holiday season finds everyone healthy and turning toward peace and kindness for every living thing!

I appreciate all the support and encouragement that I received from patrons, collectors and friends and fans of my work. It means a lot that there are people who find my work meaningful and believe in what I do enough to support me so that I can continue to create and share my pieces with society.

I have some new goals and plans for 2008, which I will share in more detail next month However, I can share with you that I have been selected for Fiscal Sponsorship by Fractured Atlas. Fractured Atlas website. Fractured Atlas, is legally recognized 501(c)(3) public charity that provides limited financial and legal oversight to selected artists. They are responsible for administering any funds received in support of my artistic endeavors. With Fractured Atlas as my fiscal sponsor, I am eligible to solicit and receive grants and tax-deductible contributions that are normally available to only 501(c)(3) organizations. This support can be monetary, a service, or in the form of physical goods (in kind donations). Please check it out! I appreciate any support you may be able to offer!

In 2008 I will work even more diligently to do the work I believe I was put here on earth to do. I will continue find ways to create work that is both high quality, long-lasting and environmentally friendly. In my goal to create art full time, I will be devoting more and more of my life to the pursuit of art. It will require some personal sacrifices, some giving up of personal comforts, in order to help me reach this goal. Your support and encouragement is a major key in making this goal possible. Making personal sacrifices are, in the end, not true sacrifices when I know the end result is in making a positive contribution to society.

Thanks for all your myriad forms of support! Every little bit counts and is greatly appreciated.

Happy Holidays and Many Blessings!

Another Experiment

Here is the latest of my experiments with ink. This is ink on Aquaboard, which is a hardboard panel coated with a special water absorbing clay. I really like the results of using this ground and will be spending the next few months developing pieces using ink and Aquaboard. I will also be producing some new pieces using ink on watercolor canvas. This work tends to take a bit longer to produce. Because of the permanence of ink, every stroke counts. It is a fine balance between controlling the ink and allowing it to be spontaneous. It requires a very still, yet open mind...steady hand and some risks.

I am quite inspired from my recent attendance to FaerieCon. I hope you will enjoy the new work over the next few months. I am always happy to hear comments about my pieces. As I start developing these new pieces, it is always helpful hear how people are responding to them. You can leave comments here on this blog or email me at doanart@gmail.com.