A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. May's Theme: "Interconnectedness"
Volume 6 Issue 4 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Gary Haggquist Passing Through Tira Brandon Evans Hunting in Parks? David Suzuki PhD First Cause, Dancing Bee and the Sky Shark Phil Kotofskie Patterns Alegria Imperial Splendor Runs Wild Dj Brown One Rev. Cheryl Jewett Auto-centricism Marlene Buffa Symbology: A Greater Understanding; Walking the Path to a Healthier Life Michael Schwartz Ocean Concert Tour 2009 Mirabai Ceiba Get On Track! Lucy Brandt Breathe Wisdom Jaqueline Kramer Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Wiccan Voices Crystal Blanton, HPs Life in the Raw Melissa Gilbert Being Mindful Janet Alston Jackson Pet-sense Jean Hofve DVM Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Prosperity and Change Pathway Magi's Magick Spells Mythology Lady Hestia Evans The Return of the Tribal Body Adornment Kit Inner Traditions Awakened Mind One-Minute Wake Up Calls to a Bold and Mindful Life David Kundtz Archived Reviews All of T.S.M.'s Reviews

Inspiration

The initial inspiration for the painting "The Great Round" was the magnificent oak trees of Victoria B.C. Canada. Later I incorporated the idea of the cycle of life within the tree to highlight the profound connection we share with the natural world. The eternal life - death - rebirth cycle provides a roadmap for a way of living ones life informed, in tune with and inspired by the wonder and mystery of the natural world.

About the Artist

Gary lives nestled within the coastal range mountains of British Columbia where he creates his beautiful works.

"The natural world has always been my wellspring of inspiration. Memories of exploring the forests of my youth can still flood my senses with the sounds and smells of those wild places on the edge of suburbia. Like others raised in this environment, however, traveling down the intersecting avenues and returning to the comfort of my home every night, the wild remained very much "other worldly." It was a longing to find a deeper connection with the natural world that later took me, through job experiences and personal trips, to many remote areas of B.C. and Manitoba. These years after art school were ones of soul searching, of gathering experience on the path to finding my voice as an artist.

The pursuit of a deeper connection with nature is one I know many people share. Perhaps our increasingly urban existence leaves more of us desiring this. Indeed to better understand our place within the natural order is arguably the most important issue of our age. This longing to touch the soul of nature and to examine our relationship with it has been the central theme in my work as an artist.

My paintings hint at these issues through a kind of heightened realism. Images appearing firmly grounded in physical reality are at the same time somehow ambiguous, clear and specific and yet vague and questioning. Many paintings indeed are more metaphorical variations on nature, heightened in their symbolic intent, tugging the viewer into the realm of memory and dream.

One of the most frequently reoccuring themes in my landscape painting has been water. Always a difficult subject, water's illusive qualities constantly challenge my abilities as an artist. My favourite way to portray water is to position the viewer directly over the flow as if they are on a bridge or hovering above it. The water appears then to flow right through the viewer, engaging them head on and enhancing the notion of water as a powerful metaphor for life itself."

To view more of Gary's art, be sure to visit his website here.

Copyright (c) 1999 Gary Haggquist "The Great Round"

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