Revelation

“Revelation” is one of 6 paintings in the Penn State University HUB art gallery series. On March 7th, I wrote that I was still grappling with how to create abstract unified paintings that combined my own symbolic visual vocabulary. The word “revelation” referred to in the title, has its roots in the Greek word apokalypsis . It translates to mean the removal of a veil so that something hidden may be seen. The sense of a heavenly unveiling is what I wanted to portray in this particular painting.

This composition captures a moment in the future that is yet to be. Waterfalls are painted in the sky; a supernatural and heavenly world is being revealed. There is a doorway that is an invitation into this new world. I formed the doorway using abstracted petals from a bearded iris flower. This is a form that I used repeatedly in this stage as an emerging abstract artist.

I chose a warm and golden color scheme. This evokes the feeling of a new era that is about to begin, like the dawning of a new day. This glorious warmth is in stark contrast to the dark, ominous landscape. The jagged ridges of the mountains represent the treacherous journeys that we may all have experienced in this present lifetime. Our hearts long to get a glimpse of this future hope.

“Revelation”, 48” x 48”, Oil on Canvas, 1997, Private Collection, GA

I regret that at the moment, this is the only photograph that I can locate of this painting. This photo does not show the true subtleties and range of color that is truly there. I sold this in the early 2000’s and I’m hoping that I’ll find a better hard copy somewhere in storage.