Stories

richard the III book cover acrylic

cross my heart acrylic

carn acrylic

something in the middle gouache

Ensign Magazine oil 12” x 16”

Ensign Magazine oil 16” x 12”

Ensign Magazine oil 12” x 16”

cross my heart metaphor

A play on cross my heart, hope to die. It’s about making then breaking promises of the heart, particularly matters of love. When you promise to another, you promise yourself. When a love promise is broken you hurt and injure yourself as well as the other person. Thus, the snake bites itself. A snake because of its historical vile reputation and often a promise breaker becomes a ‘snake’. The snake skin pattern behind represents a bigger snake, the adversary and temptation. The snake’s body forms a heart indicating love. A green snake because of the envy often associated with betrayal. Love dies and something in the betrayer dies.

Guardians of the Family oil 6’ x 4’

volvo accord-sundance aspen

A commissioned piece representing their corporate winter retreat (which I taught their groups a couple of painting classes) A portion of the iconography -

Moss Iconography: life below the surface. Living, working organisms that are vital to the life of the tree. Below the surface there are organisms that add nutrients and healthy management to the root system and therefore the tree. Other elements are so small they go undetected but if destroyed or left unchecked by the soils balance they can cause rot or death to the tree. Substances in the soil aid in stabilizing the roots nutrient levels so that their is no depletion in the roots nourishment.

Moss Analogy: Leadership workings of a company go unseen and often unknown from a company’s day to day operations. But, it is leadership and decision making that manage a healthy bedrock for the foundation of the company. An organization’s leadership can ‘make or break’ a company causing it to produce inferior results, collapse the company altogether, (sometimes unbeknownest to the rest of firm) or sustain and stabilize it in unseen ways.

Root Iconography: roots primary function is to absorb, accumulate, and anchor the tree. Absorbing water and nutrients, accumulating and storing what is necessary for that particular tree, and anchoring the tree for stability are vital to the tree’s subsistence and stamina. Without this grounding the tree doesn’t have the correct environment or right conditions for

progress. When a tree’s root system is operating properly it has the power to sustain itself and overtime overcome many obstacles.

Root Analogy: Leadership of a company functions to digest data, draw and retain relevant information, make decisions from those sources, and ultimately stable direction. Leadership communicates back to the company what is necessary for operating properly. Intermingled roots aid in stability.

Rocks Iconography: trials and difficulties. Rocks or other debris embeds itself into the ground and the roots have to work around them, or enclose, embrace and protect them to become an integral part of the root system. Some objects hinder the growth of the root system and need to be pushed from the path’s progressive direction.

Rocks Analogy: Problems that arise in management and leadership positions aren’t observed from the surface but can affect the organization’s daily production. Some issues, those that would hinder a company’s growth, need to be detected and removed from the companies projected path. Other matters are not as critical to the health of the organization but need to be addressed and solutions embraced and put into place.

Guardians of the Family allegorical summary

An allegory is a representation of an abstract idea through symbolic narrative. This allegorical painting symbolically compares a bird, feather, nest, and tree to the roles, responsibilities, and guardianship of parents to children. The 3 panels (a triptych) represent the idea that father, child, and mother are distinct and different roles in the family. Just as one panel without the others doesn’t form the whole, complete painting, a family without father, mother, and children doesn’t provide the premium foundation for individuals. Following are some of the symbolic or representational meanings I have intended in this painting.

Children are an unearned endowment. They have the right to be loved by a mother and father.

Bird = newness and vulnerability of life

Placed in middle = strongly affected by parents and core of parental responsibilities

Held in hand = children are to be carried and supported while young

Parents as partners. Each parent plays a distinct and needful role in the life of a child.

Hands at equal heights = essential counterparts and parental peers

Active motion of hands = individuality in carrying out being a mother or father

Heads lifted = recognition and value of personal position in the family, neither is ashamed of their respective role

Tree = refuge and fundamental fortress of strength found in families,

Healthy tree = natural and best place for nourishment and growth

Trunk & branches = parental predecessors

Leafy canopy = future generations and the influence parents have on their posterity

Missing limbs = the imperfections found in families

Mothers nurture. Mothers give “nurtured wings” to their children.

Numerous feathers = many aspects of mother’s nurturing

Feathers = provide comfort, warmth, and the ability to fly; without feathers it is impossible to fly and a child cannot soar and ascend to new heights

Blowing feathers = mother’s influence to gently guide and direct

Differing types of feathers = wing feathers - lift and guide, tail feathers - act like a rudder to navigate in flight

Fathers provide and protect. Fathers give physical and nonphysical necessities.

Nest = essential for birth, growth, safety, and foundation for coming and going from flight

Nest’s environment = provides physical shelter, protects from predators, and prepares developmentally

Shoulders & arms = strength in ability to accept and act in father’s responsibilities

Straw & twigs = attached, assertive, and active role father has in the family

Taller = to represent a presiding role in the family

Allegorical paintings are a process of discovery and their meanings deepen our contemplative understanding. Parents are guardians of the family.

Remarks given at the World Family Policy Forum 2005

Forum members included United Nation Diplomats, opinion leaders and scholars from the US, UK, India, Switzerland, New Zealand, Malaysia, Latvia, Sweden, Africa, Spain, and other countries.

If you’ve lived in Utah (or somewhere similar) you know what I am talking about with this piece.

Shannon@ShannonsPortfolio.com

Bittersweet Adversity allegorical summary

All on its own people will think this is solely about chocolate and how hard it is not to indulge in it all the time. That is one level, especially if you are a chocoholic. But I had this idea when I was teaching my kids and some other young people about adversity. It was something that they could very easily relate to. More later....

Allegory

a representation of

an abstract idea through

symbolic narrative