Gods and Goddesses, Icons and Idols Series

jI am currently working on a new series of artwork including acrylics, encaustics, oils and watercolors on wood, canvas and paper. After reading more by Carl Jung and on Jung, I decided to return to this series which I started over ten years ago. Ever since junior high I've had a fascination for mythology which has been strengthened by my 20 plus year study of Jung, Joseph Campbell and more. I'm including Icons because they serve the role of mythology in conciousness and leaps in awareness due to their archetypal power. Psychologists, artists, poets, authors, comic writers and film directors have long mined the powers of archetypal images and how their immediacy can enrich a story as people identify with and acknowledge their inherent qualities. In Jung's Red Book and his concepts, he encourages us to explore our own personal archetypes with both their positive and negative qualities. Even though I've been painting this way for years, I am shocked when I discover a new archetype. In my new series I explore these themes as a guide to personal discovery but as with all archetypes, they invite universal speculation. I ran the gamut from Greek and Egyptian mythology to relatively contemporary icons such as characters from the T.V. series, "Fringe," and James O'Barr's comic, "The Crow." I only realized weeks after completing these latter two, that they related to the theme of a figure who continued after death. First is the character,Eric Draven, who came back from the dead as the character, the Crow. And secondly, the scientist, William Bell, from Fringe who avoided death by going to an alternate universe. I realized that I was choosing these subjects as I tried to comprehend aspects of my life and my changing psychology after surviving cancer. It only dawned on me a few weeks later that I was trying to make sense of my mood swings from euphoria at being alive a feeling good to fear and trepidation every three months before the neccessary CT scans to see if the cancer has returned. I am typing this post from my phone so can't upload photos but will as soon as I can.