My Collectors, their Art ,and their Stories.

"Knowth"
Medium: Acyclic on Canvas
40" X 40"

This painting was inspired by visit to the sacred site in Ireland called Knowth. This amazing site was constructed over 5000 years ago. This sacred site was definitely a thin place, were the veil between this world and the next is thin.



When I got home I created this painting in my studio. In the creative and intuitive process my arm my torso became part of the brush stroke. It is kind of dark piece, I feel that it invokes the thinning veils of our reality.

The Collector is Brazilian, Danielle Molinski, I have known her for several years. We used to work professionally at an art gallery together and she has bought several artworks from me. She resonated with this piece "Knowth" instantly and now is very proud to have it hanging on her living room wall.
Currently, Danielle is a partner at a gallery in San Raphael called Room Art Gallery. I am really excited because they are now representing me and have a pretty large and beautiful collection of my latest work. It is a great place to visit on second Friday of the month when they have a huge Art Walk. And collect some great ART!

My Collectors, their Art ,and their Stories.

Chaos and Order
Acrylic on Canvas
36" X36"

My art is a metaphysical journey of discovery. Ever since childhood I have been fascinated with the liminal ---- the neither here nor there, the betwixt or the in-between. I found it to be a realm of pure possibility. The ancient Celts called this state Caol ‘ait or “thin places”, were the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds merge. I have found that through my creative process I can pass through a type of threshold that allows me to enter this realm of consciousness, where one can explore the interflow between soul and matter and between time and eternity.
This allure with “thin places” has also led me to explore transpersonal psychology and my own personal shadow through dream work and Jungian analysis. My art is a recorded event of my deep interest in mysticism and the natural world, as well as a passageway into my own mythical inversion of reality. It is my deep exploration into non-ordinary reality and the mysteries of the unknown.
A key element in my process is the study and travel to ancient cultures and sacred sites whose shamanistic worldview encompassed a belief in a magical Other World. My paintings or portals are visual archives that penetrate my unconscious. My surfaces are painted over layers of symbols and forms, recalling cave walls and ritual chambers. While creating I employ my two mental allies, instinct and intuition, to create a canvas of chaos and order

Collector: Richard(Rico) Bacon, actually was visiting John F Kennedy University for graduate school Fate would have it that my Solo Exhibition Caol A'it filled the A&C Gallery the whole installation connected with Rico's journey at that moment in time. He had an affinity with my work Chaos and Order and acquired it that very day that he had walked into the gallery.

My Collectors, their Art ,and their Stories.

Mystery
Acrylic on Canvas
3'x5'

This was a painting that I did from a powerful dream. It was very strange dream about this mysterious hybrid creature, that just kept on staring at me from various vantage points. The hybrid looked like the white being on the canvas. I still today have no idea what he was or what was his meaning. All I do know is I was driven to draw a series of eight works on paper of this hybrid character in various scenes. Below is one image from the series.

As I was preparing for my solo exhibition Caol A'it, I intuitively decided to paint this hybrid creature life size. Jais Booth fell in love with this mysterious image and she added it to her collection.
Collector: Jais Booth says about her own work, "My practice as an artist is inextricably linked with my 38 years of discipline and study in both eastern and western forms of alchemy – the alchemy of personal growth and transformation" Also, in August 2008, Jais and I with twelve other artist opened the Red Door Gallery and Collective in the Art Murmur district of downtown Oakland. The Red Door was a collective with a vision of art to transform both individuals and communities. Our studio gallery exhibited art from various community service organizations, while our main gallery showcased transformative artists from around the country.
Jais and I also co-curated together two critically acclaimed exhibitions at the Red Door Gallery and Collective, Art and the Body Poltick, (with Lauren Odell Usher ) which was a follow-up show from Art Hazelwoods, Art of Democracy prestigious exhibition.As well we co-curated Myth, Magic, and Mystery, (with Cheja)which Jais documented in an Art catalogue.

My Collectors, their Art ,and their Stories.

Nordic Cross
Caol 'Ait Graduate Exhibition
Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 18" x 18"

This piece was inspired from an amazing journey in 2007, when my sister Tara and I visited the sacred sites of Ireland, primarily those that exist in the County of Slane. We had an amazing time driving through the beautiful country side visiting the powerful hubs of New Grange, Knowth, and the Hill of Tara. Also, we took an spectacular road trip up to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland.This adventure took me back to my ancestral roots as I am both Irish and Scandinavian.
When I returned home I started creating this work. It was a beautiful combination of layers upon layers of color. In my whole meditative process I used a lot of water to make the paint flow on its own accord.
JJ actually acquired this work for his wife Megan. He also wrote an amazing review of my whole solo exhibition Caol A'it. I think this work went to beautiful home. JJ and Megan love sacred sites and shamanism.

Collector: "Art made of, about and for the Earth and our spiritual connection to it has been integral to humanity since art-making first began. I find solace, teaching and identity in the natural and supernatural worlds, and I feel that it is my responsibility to share this experience with others through my art "
JJ Levin