Dissolution (2022)
Above: The creative process of my painting, Dissolution.
Acrylic and marijuana smoke on canvas, 20" x 16".
The very act of dreaming itself can, at times, seem closer to magic than any other human process. Our consciousness is seemingly transported through time and space to some other plane of existence where our actions have little to no consequences in our waking lives (save for the emotional effects upon awakening). Our bodies however, remain motionless in reality. This abrupt disconnect and sudden untethering of the mind from it’s corporeal state of being is an experience that all dreamers will inevitably undergo.
Dissolution reflects the powerlessness and disorientation that is experienced when transitioning between our waking and dreaming states. The blinding white figure in the center appears to be dissolving from her extremities into millions of particles of light that settle amongst the reflection nebulae around her. This total dissolution of her extremities and body reflects this feeling of complete surrender and the release of our consciousness, sense and knowledge of self when slipping in and out of the dream state. The disintegration of her body beginning from the head and extremities is expressive of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream parable in that she loses all sense of her Waking Self upon entering a dream state, as well as losing all sense of her Dream Self upon awakening. She falls into the gaping, swirling void of a wormhole, evocative of the indigenous belief of dreams acting as a catalyst activity that allows us to access knowledge and insight from the spiritual realm and other metaphysical planes of existence. This imagery of a body dissolving, decaying and assimilating amongst the stars reveals the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth, as well as the indigenous methodologies regarding the interconnection between all life forms, our inner selves, our environment and cosmos.
