Cycle of life, earth, mother, feminine energy – a painting in process

My latest painting is about the cycle of life, earth, mother, feminine energy, shakti. I am still unsure about the final title. As it appeared on the canvas it felt like quite a long birthing process with lots of possibilities. I love this about painting in an intuitive way. Its like something inside is trying to tell me something thru the painting process.

It started pretty dark, and as the painting evolved it became clearer and it also became more joyous (scroll down to see the progress). As if the mother had to ground herself in the dark, the soil, so she could fully emerge as joyous and colorful as she could be.

acrylic and collage on paper on tempered board

21 x 26 inch (53.34x66cm)

details below, click to view larger…

painting progress, starting with a few spontaneous circles and translucent forms with shadows…

As I noticed a breast emerging I thought of a mother nourishing her child, how she is being seen, put on a pedestal. How there is birth and there is death also. And how as we enter life and as the Buddha noticed, “there is suffering, there is death, there is old age, there is disease… ” Its a beautiful cycle of joy, beauty on one hand and suffering and ugliness on the other.