He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.
St Francis
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My work is heavy in symbolism and I'm often asked about the meanings behind some of the recurring themes in my work. For example, the cross is a regular feature, as are circles, numbers and text. The meaning behind the symbolism is explained in the links below.
There's also a link to tell you a little bit about me, the artist.
This section is currently under construction. In the meantime if you would like to purchase art or view art that is currently for sale, please contact me via the email address or phone number provided in the "contact me" section. Thanks for your interest...
Jillaine Murray
If you would like to know more about where you can purchase or view my art, please contact me via the "Email Me" link - I would love to hear from you.
For slices of life presented with a slightly skewed view...pop over to my other place by clicking on the "Boudoisie Blog" link.
Again this extremely simple yet complex symbol is rich with meaning. Generally when used in my art it represents either an unbroken bond, infinity, continuity and connection, the cycle of life, the embryo, the moon, a transition, a community, the earth itself or sacred space. The name of the painting will usually give a clue as to what it is symbolic of in that particular piece.
The numbers in my paintings are usually devised using a combination of numerology and information personal to me or the person the painting is for.
For example, the numbers on several of my pieces are my childrens birth years, my birth date, my husbands birth date, or relate to significant anniversaries or number combinations. They can also be about the energy of a particular number if it is relevant to the symbologyand overall meaning within a particular painting.
The cross has been used both as a religious symbol and as an ornament from the dawn of man's civilization. Various objects dating from periods long before the Christian era have been found marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world.
It has different meanings for different traditions and cultures, for example, in Scandinavia the Tau cross symbolized the hammer of the God Thor. In Babylon the cross with a crescent moon was the symbol of their moon deity. In Assyria the corners of the cross represented the four directions in which the sun shines and in Hinduism the vertical shaft represents the higher, celestial states of being; the horizontal bar represents the lower, earthly states.
In this day and age, it is most commonly associated with Christianity, but the cross did not appear in Christian art until the mid-5th Century when it appeared on a Vatican sarcophagus. The original cross symbol was in the form of a Tau Cross and was thought to have been copied by the church from the Pagan Druids who made crosses in this form by joining two limbs from an oak tree. The Tau cross became the Roman Cross that we are familiar with today.
I personally prefer to think of it in its most ancient form, as a symbol of the elements, the directions of the earth, or the body itself. I love that it is so simple yet so rich in symbolism. I also love that it means many things to many people. The most important thing to me is that however the individual has interpreted the painting and the symbols within it, that the art is enjoyed or is meaningful on an individual level, by those that view it.
Almost every painting I do features text in some form or another. In my mind, words are the single most powerful thing in the world. They have the ability to hurt, wound, raise armies, incite mass violence, manipulate and destroy. By the same token they have the amazing ability to heal, inspire, teach, unite humanity, and to take us to far away places without ever stepping out our front door.
The question Im most commonly asked is what does the text say. The text used in my work is most often generic, it is not meant to be readable, it is the essence of the written word, as described above, that I am trying to convey when using text in my work. And as with the cross, it is what it says to the individual that is the important thing.
I often include either three small crosses, three small lines or paint in series of threes or multiples of threes to form one piece. Threes are symbolic of my children and I have used them in my art in one form or another from the time I started painting.
They are also symbolic of the Triple Goddess in Paganism - the three phases of a woman's life being Maiden, Mother and Crone, and the three phases of the moon.
Born in Auckland in 1968 I discovered my love of painting in my early 30's. It very quickly became my favorite creative outlet and most meaningful form of self expression.
No matter what the content, the color, the individual components or the methods used to create a piece of work, somewhere within all of my paintings the meaning and the message I am trying to convey is the same in essence. It is that there is a connectivity between all of us and the world we live in.
That the world around us is an amazing and powerful place.
That we all have the ability to connect with those energies, in fact they are part of us and we are part of them, and by living in sync with them and each other, we each have the ability to create a rich and meaningful life, a life of happiness, fulfillment and abundance, to achieve great things, whatever you perceive that to be.
Thanks for your interest. If you would like to know more about where you can purchase or view my art, please contact me via the contact form provided on the "contact me" page - I would love to hear from you.
Jillaine
Copyright 2009 C Jillaine Murray. All rights reserved.
