This is a portrait of my friend Henry, who told me
that after having gone to therapy, he was no longer
depressed. To celebrate Henry’s recovery I decided
to make an image of him parting the clouds of his
depression. In this work the clouds have subtle
demonic faces because Henry is pushing away his
inner demons. The shell refers to St. James who
was drowned off the coast of Spain. Henry, who is
art historian, is also an Episcopal priest and feels
close to St. James. Behind him a new world opens
in the shape of a butterfly symbolizing trans-
formation. It is a new dawn and the landscape in
the background shows multiple paths because both
Henry and I believe there are many paths that we
can take to reach realization.
that after having gone to therapy, he was no longer
depressed. To celebrate Henry’s recovery I decided
to make an image of him parting the clouds of his
depression. In this work the clouds have subtle
demonic faces because Henry is pushing away his
inner demons. The shell refers to St. James who
was drowned off the coast of Spain. Henry, who is
art historian, is also an Episcopal priest and feels
close to St. James. Behind him a new world opens
in the shape of a butterfly symbolizing trans-
formation. It is a new dawn and the landscape in
the background shows multiple paths because both
Henry and I believe there are many paths that we
can take to reach realization.
| NEW DAWN Oil on canvas, 40 x 66 in. |
