These paintings, mainly acrylic on theatrical muslin, measure 8 feet tall, many 8 feet wide also. They have been show from the National Museum of Art of Kyrgyzstan to Burning Man to the Women in Power Conference, to the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto.
A series of watercolor and mixed media on paper, 40" x 26", some 42" x 28"
My art practice has always been a kinesthetic one - grounded in the body and its senses and energies - whether painting humans, deities or portraits of the earth. Coming from dance, movement, ecstatic poetry and music, my work flows onto the paper, often with both hands, using all the body’s knowledge to reveal the underlying sources of energy. Characters from many races, sexes, sizes and forms appear on my easel, seemingly from deep memory.
And why is this art work be important? We live in a time of much anger and violence, and communication is often disembodied. The disconnect between ourselves and the natural world is causing serious problems. We need to come home to our bodies, our animal-ness, our human-ness, our body-temples.
I’ve been painting Goddesses and Gods for over two decades. Here is their story:
One day I said to myself, where did all the deities come from? The millions of gods and goddesses throughout human history: local gods, cruel, kind, powerful, silly, beatific and horrific supreme beings. We don't know where they came from, but we do know that it was we humans who painted them, sculpted them, sang to them, prayed to them and built their temples.
So why not some fresh ones? - Not only new deities for today but also a re-visioning of the traditional deities like the God of War (Aries) or the Goddess of Compassion (Kwan Yin).
My art comes out of an exploration of myth and religion of many times and cultures, something that has not been available to such an extent ever before in the history of our culture. Having at our fingertips a vast array of images of the divine, in art, architecture, music and words - I continue, with my art - to expand the pantheon and to depict the sacred groves and temples as I see and feel them.
The God and Goddess Series began in January of 1988 and has steadily grown to over one hundred and seventy five paintings. These large format (26 by 40") watercolor portraits of homemade and traditional deities celebrate aspects of the divine and of the merely human. They are a way for us to see ourselves as sacred, and so to honor our own powers. They are serious like the traditional Durga, and irreverent like The Goddess of the Joys of Petty Thievery, or important for our time like The God of Safe Sex or the Bee Goddess. On my website many have contributed writings and other input in order to flesh out these supreme beings and give them many voices.
I’ve been painting Goddesses and Gods for over two decades. Here is their story:
One day I said to myself, where did all the deities come from? The millions of gods and goddesses throughout human history: local gods, cruel, kind, powerful, silly, beatific and horrific supreme beings. We don't know where they came from, but we do know that it was we humans who painted them, sculpted them, sang to them, prayed to them and built their temples.
So why not some fresh ones? - Not only new deities for today but also a re-visioning of the traditional deities like the God of War (Aries) or the Goddess of Compassion (Kwan Yin).
My art comes out of an exploration of myth and religion of many times and cultures, something that has not been available to such an extent ever before in the history of our culture. Having at our fingertips a vast array of images of the divine, in art, architecture, music and words - I continue, with my art - to expand the pantheon and to depict the sacred groves and temples as I see and feel them.
The God and Goddess Series began in January of 1988 and has steadily grown to over one hundred and seventy five paintings. These large format (26 by 40") watercolor portraits of homemade and traditional deities celebrate aspects of the divine and of the merely human. They are a way for us to see ourselves as sacred, and so to honor our own powers. They are serious like the traditional Durga, and irreverent like The Goddess of the Joys of Petty Thievery, or important for our time like The God of Safe Sex or the Bee Goddess. On my website many have contributed writings and other input in order to flesh out these supreme beings and give them many voices.
Pastels on black paper all drawn on site in Iceland, 2019. It was summer but very cool and often very windy. It was a bit tough drawing outside but the landscape is so beautiful I could not resist.
My first big landscapes were inspired by explorations in the Southwestern US, esp. Chaco Canyon and other ancient sites. The circle of the Kiva, holding community and engendering magic and healing, was the start of many of these pieces. Studying Shamanism and deep meditation added to these visions of entering the earth for knowledge and ways to heal our community. The music of the southwest, esp. flute music, helped to transport me to these expansive and quiet spaces. These were painted with western and Chinese pigments on 26" x 40" watercolor paper.
The Wild Women Series are all watercolor and mixed media on paper, 40" x 26", also made into prints on Aluminum, 12 x 8" each, or into a tiny book called We Need Wild Women, which you can see here https://www.janetmorgan-art.net/wildwomen
