(60” x 48”) Oil on canvas 2018
This painting was based on a period leading up to my spiritual awakening. It displays a dreamlike realm that encapsulates the complexities of my subconscious mind at the time. The bold, swirling colors create an ethereal atmosphere, giving the overall mood of the painting one of bittersweet yearning. The woman, though radiant and divine, seems to be shrouded in a veil of distance, symbolizing the love that feels just out of reach. This distance evokes a profound sense of sorrow, where one feels caught in a liminal space between longing and despair.
The composition reflects a grand water trine in astrology. The inverted triangle that appears a few times in the painting symbolizes the water element and represents the grand water trine itself. The numbers also make a triangle when you connect them together. They embody the water trinity, the sprititual and intuitive houses in astrology, also known as the Moksha Trikona in Vedic astrology. The three planetary lords in each of those houses are represented symbolically near the numbers as well.
The 4th house, representing the domestic environment and emotional foundations, is depicted through a sugar skull with a dove releasing the butterflies from the woman's caged stomach. The skull represents Mercury in Cancer in the 4th house and is a play on the opposing elements of the mind and the emotions.
The 8th house, associated with transformation and shared intimacy, is illustrated with darker undertones of a phoenix-styled dove rising from the demonic entities released from Pandora's box, which blooms into a lotus flower accompanied by a large swan and Saraswati playing her veena on top. This symbolizes Pluto in Scorpio and 8th house themes of overcoming darkness and transmuting it into something beautiful and creative.
Finally, the 12th house, linked to the subconscious and the unseen, is characterized with a dove carrying a flower and two fishes surrounding a Moon melting from an arrow pierced through it with the hands of a man reaching out. This symbolizes Moon in Pisces and the 12th house attributes of hazy, dreamlike elements that evoke a sense of mystery, embodying the essence of the divine and a symbol of love that feels both omnipresent yet distant.
In this work, I tried to capture the essence of love as both a source of divine connection and a reminder of the emotional struggles that accompany it. This painting serves as a reflection on the complexities of the heart. It's an exploration of one's own feelings of love, loss, and the eternal search for connection with the divine.
