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Stones
touched by ancient Hand
Stones
caressed by ancient Wind
Stones
cleansed by ancient Sea
Here
I pray to Thee...
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This one's for Arden.
Who made his final
escape October 15, 2003
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"Prayer" began
as yet another study (see
others in Sketchbook II) for the painting presently in progress.
Then... through the sketching stage I felt the figure was worthy of more thorough
study and began working on the detailed pencil drawing. Initially what I had in
mind was to simply do the figure without a background, as I had done in
drawings such as "Samsara" and
"Within Skin and
Stone", but "Prayer" grew. It expanded to the
point where most of the 20" x 30" piece of artboard would be
covered in graphite.
Not since I
finished the painting "Enlightenment" in 2000, had I integrated
the Sedona red rock formations into a piece. Now I would revisit
them, only this time in graphite, and draw them for the first time in
black and white. Never having drawn the rocks before, I
found myself less interested in reproducing them exactly. Instead,
I allowed the rocks and my own subconscious to speak through my hand, producing often times
strange and unusual shapes and forms. Although through painting these incredible sand stone
formations a certain style was developing. In drawing them for
the first time, this process evolved to the point where I glanced at the source
material less and less.
Omitting
color and reducing the image to light and shadow had a liberating
effect. Liberating not only in style but also in content and
composition. For example; the back and foreground setting is a
combination of two separate locations. In the distance is the rock
formation known as Shiprock, located in the Northwestern corner of New
Mexico. Shiprock is a formation I have viewed from a distance numerous times and as
I recall... at least once, while traveling down the infamous 666 highway
heading South towards Gallup and Interstate 40. Interstate 40
would eventually lead us to our preordained destination, Sedona Arizona.
And just outside Sedona and the rangers reach was where we found our
temporary home, beneath the towering rock face of a place called Loy
Butte. It was in climbing and exploring the rock face where we
came across the old Indian ruin, situated high on a cliff under which we
slept many a night. This location along with Shiprock looming in
the distance conjoined creating the setting for "Prayer".
Every so
often a painting or drawing brings in it's wake a period of fundamental
change and "Prayer" (although unknown in the initial stages)
would prove to be one such piece. Personally and artistically this
drawing ushered in a welcome change of direction. Although not
prominent within this piece itself (short of some areas where I
experimented) the change will profoundly effect the course of the
painting presently in progress. Many of the sketches (see
Sketchbook II) will now be left behind and with the vision clear,
the painting which has been in the planning stages for quite some time
will now receive my full artistic devotion.
The execution
of "Prayer" has spanned approximately a two year period of my
life. When signing it I was a little disheartened to noticed that
throughout 2002 I had not signed a painting or drawing. It was not
that the actual work involved in producing the piece should have
required this length of time. There were many days if not weeks
and months that went by where I couldn't even look at it. At times
I wondered if I had lost my passion and desire to produce any works of
art ever again. I don't know about other artists but this old
demon comes knocking at my door more often than I care to mention.
But then... looking back over 2002 there were numerous distractions to
account for my artistic neglect. The most relevant, personal
family health challenges that although I will not go into have been met
and vanquished.
So it would
seem that there was plenty to pray for in 2001- 02. Not only
within my personal experience but also on a global level. At times
I wonder if the human race has simply gone off the deep end. In a
world where a tragic event could be politically hijacked and morphed to
justify the massive ordinance dropped on Baghdad, I find it increasingly
more difficult to find my place. All I know is, when I watched the
bombs ignite in apocalyptic fire balls over Baghdad, September 11 became
just another day in a world gone completely mad. And that is
quite possibly the saddest statement I have ever made.
Yes... there
is no shortage of things to pray for these days. The world my
daughter will inherit, peace on earth, humanity, the animals, the
environment, personal health, truth... just to mention a few. But in the end and during the final pencil strokes and
smudges "Prayer" answered a long held prayer of my own.
The reemergence of a passion I thought was long dead but which turned
out to be simply sleeping. The passion which fuels the desire to
create something beautiful. I was a little surprised at where I
found it.
October 17, 2003
Petrus
Boots
†
For information
contact the Artist at petrus@petrusboots.com
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