Creation Story 1 5/2010
9x12
This was one of the first paintings in which I began using the dispersion techniques intentionally. Every time I take a closer look into this mandala-type form, I see areas of microscapes that I had previously missed. Many of the pictures that follow remind me of some of the Hubble telescope images we have all enjoyed over the years. At the same time, they are reminiscent of microscopic pictures of human cells.
For those interested in Creation Stories and Myths, here is some fascinating material:
Introduction to Native American Creation/Origin Tales
The ancient Native American origin myths are traditional answers, from each tribe’s perspective, to such universal questions as “Who are we? How did life begin? What is the meaning and purpose of life?” These symbolic explanations were passed down orally from one generation to the next for thousands of years and constitute one of the richest, as well as oldest, traditions in American literature.
Although many variations of these sacred myths exist, they generally include some kind of First Being that asexually creates the original sky parents who are sometimes known as Sky Father and Earth Mother. However, the main focus of the tales is often on the subsequent “generations”—the emerging primal forces symbolized as animal-like or insect-like “people” preparing the world for the coming of the later human-peoples (the present Indians) who would eventually populate the earth.
In the southwestern “Emergence Myths,” these sacred powers originate in the innermost womb of earth, and the mediational figures must pass upward and outward through several wombs or cave-like worlds until they are “birthed” out onto the surface of the earth awaiting transformation into habitable land. The magical powers of Grandmother Spider or Spider Woman play a key role in many of these tales.
For more information on Creation Stories please visit these sites:
