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Illumination:
The Armenian Series
Preparing to
Greet the Goddess
Do not think of her
unless you are prepared
to be driven to your limits,
to rush forth from yourself
like a ritual bowl overflowing
with sacramental wine.
Do not summon her image
unless you are ready to be blinded,
to stand in the flash
of a center exploding,
yourself shattering into the landscape,
wavering bits of bark and water.
Do not speak her name
until you have said good-bye
to all your familiar trinkets --
your mirrors, your bracelets,
your childhood adorations --
From now on you are nothing,
a ghost sighing at the window,
a voice singing under water.
Dorothy Walters (1928- )
The
style of these pieces is inspired by early Armenian
manuscript illuminations. My paintings explore, as
all my work does, the source and nature of the creative
process.
The
materials I used here were of particular importance
because I was wrestling with how to find that nexus
where Divine creativity and the material world
meet. Thus I made most of the materials for these
painting by hand. I ground tree sap, stones, metals,
cooked plants and sorted earths. All the while I
was in a deep meditative state, seeking to become the
funnel for Divine creative energy to pour into the
physical matter of the art supplies I was creating. I
did not make the sheep skin parchment they are painted
on, but as I painted, I was acutely aware of the cycle
of life and death, rebirth and regeneration. I
understood that I was honoring the animal who died and
bringing a new form of life to its body. For more
on this check my forthcoming book Lapis
& Gold: Unlocking the secrets of Medieval
Illuminators.
As far as the symbolism goes, I believe art is like
poetry to much explanation kills the joy. However,
I will am I deeply connected to the feminine face of the
Divine, the sacred womb, pre-being, from which all
things spring to life.
Scroll down for all the images in the series.
The
Mother
Eden
The
Fire Down Below
The
Fire on Top
The Living
Hand
The Cycle
Woman
The Virgin
Birth
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