The Burning One (Leopard Gates)

 

The Burning One (Leopard Gates)

30" x 22" Watercolor, Ink, Gouache, Acrylic and Graphite - April 2021 to Oct 2022
  • The Burning One is a mandala with a seraph at the top, a seraph covered with eyes. This piece is part of a trilogy of gates and keepers.
  • A guardian over a gate with four quadrants.
  • I recently learned that Jung described a mandala as a tree of life in the center of a garden (Eden). It has four rivers running out in different directions and is bound by a barrier with a flaming guardian. This mandala satisfies those requirements. I made these three mandalas before I came across that quote in a recording of a Joseph Campbell lecture from the 60s.
  • The center of the "spirit" is within the subconscious.
  • In the middle are an Indian Gaur (Indian Bison), and an Iberian Imperial Eagle (EN) with only 11 pairs in Portugal, one of the most threatened birds of prey in Europe. Also a mandrill (which I am terrified of, even at the zoo) and an extinct Barbary lion encircle a golden ouroboros (snake eating its own tail).
  • A gateway opening to an inner light. I was in love with this piece while making it - full swoon.