The Four Brothers - Kanda Empat
2008
Each Painting is 7'h x 4'w
Acrylic on Wood

In 2002, while in Bali with my partner, I had the most terrifying experience of my life. One evening as I was drifting off to sleep I had a spirit visitation. In a trance, I ran from our hotel room into the rice paddies screaming wildly. I came to; standing in the middle of the field, shins scraped and bruised, every hair standing on end, shaking.

A day later we went to a Balinese priest and explained to him what had happened. After a very dramatic re-enactment he just smiled and gave me two thumbs up. He explained (through an interpreter) that what had happened was that one of my Four Brothers had awakened and that this was a very good thing.

In Balinese spiritual tradition we are born with 4 spirit allies. For men, these are the four brothers and for women, the four sisters. They are related to the various by-products of birth (blood, water/amniotic fluid, placenta and a salve that coats the newborn) and have corresponding colors (red, black, white and yellow), directions, names, etc. When we are born they are asleep but as we progress on our spiritual path they will awaken and be of support in our health and worldly engagements. This series of paintings, while not literal interpretations, are an attempt to capture some of the feelings that I have had while working with these spirits.

I Am Dead
2008
9' x 9', Charcoal on Paper

In the late nineties, I did a series of performative art pieces that had specific spiritual tasks. These included walking meditations, drawing from phenomena (body sensations, sounds, paths of birds, etc.) in an attempt to eliminate distractions and experience the moment fully. I Am Dead was a process that involved writing and saying "I Am Dead" with charcoal on paper. Part of this was in relationship to the Catholic Holy Week (the drawing was done on Holy Thursday) and part of it was an attempt to come to some acceptance of my eventual death. While it may seem somewhat morbid it was actually a liberating experience.

The Visitation - 2003