Contemplate

The latest muse in my ladies series, Eve, is finally finished.  She took over two months of my own contemplation of her story,  the painting itself, and the message I want this piece to send.  Frankly, I wonder if Adam found her to be as complex and exhausting!

Eve’s most famous story is found in the Bible’s book of Genesis, where she took and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil,   thus realizing the evils of the world and giving life to sin.  That’s a pretty heavy consequence for one seemingly small decision.   But haven’t we all made a decision that we didn’t think through completely, that led to a variety of disasters that we didn’t expect?

Let me explain my version of Eve, which I titled “Contemplate”.  Her story of deception is set in the fiery, red reeds in the bottom left-hand corner of the painting. In the water, I collaged a map of our world, and her horrible consequences of evil our world has witnessed.  Zoom in and see what natural and human disasters you may find.  Snake skin tops each running wave, a reminder of evil influences that rock our world, and the devilish serpent that rocked Eve’s.

The sky is emblazoned with LIFE and comics, conflicting life’s intensity and humor.  A clock indicates the pressure of time.  An apple represents the choices we face, containing many thoughts, some completely covered, some still visible and on our mind. It is a reminder that we need to choose well in our decision making.

My mind tends to  run wild while I paint, and I contemplated endless thoughts when I created Eve.  Let’s face it.  We all have a little Eve in each of us. I thought of her bible story, and I thought of my story, including many decisions I have made, both good and bad, and those I completely regret. I am not sure Eve is fully responsible for the sins of our world, such as war, starvation, racism, hatred, violence, poverty and natural disasters, etc.  But I am certain that we are responsible for our own choices.

So, I dedicate my Eve to the young women of our world, who are discovering themselves, their bodies, their interests and identities, their education and futures, who have major decisions to make in a pressure-filled society.  You were created in goodness.  Don’t rush your decisions.  Be wise.  Look forward and consider all of the outcomes.  Some days you will be right, others you will be wrong.  Just be willing to live with what you choose.