Summer & Winter by Michael Parkes

NEW!

A Word from Michael Parkes about “Polar Wings:” Polar Wings is part of a re-occurring theme concerning “devas.” There is a myth that creative “devas” (who also could be called “guardian angels”) were on this Earth in the beginning to
help design everything on Earth from plants, insects, to mammals. They’ve watched over their creations from the beginning of their time on Earth and will continue to do so until the very end of their existence, individually and collectively. Many of these creations are threatened with extinction today. This was the theme in my painting “The Last Lion.” Another painting, “Deva,” shows the deva in the process of creating the dragonfly. Here you have a tender moment between the Polar Bear and his deva."

"Venus is the Roman name for the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Generally, Venus is the goddess of love and sensuality. Venus represents the descent of divine feminine energy into the physical world. The waters of the sea can be seen as the tumultuous emotional body of humanity. She is the balance for the present distortion of aggression on earth. Her presence is of calm, knowing, patience, and love. Her tools are not the swords of the battle field but of beauty and harmony. I have used the flying figure before in my paintings. He represents the announcement of a major cosmic event. Here he is announcing a divine being, or consciousness, descending into a physical form to help the earth. The mask that Venus is holding is the mask of sorrow, confusion, and misery. Behind the mask, there is a promise of what this feminine energy brings. Take the symbolism for what it is. It is not important to understand or even agree with the symbols I use. What I do want is to offer my art to people to enjoy and enhance their lives with the beauty of color and light."

This deluxe edition is embellished and hand- signed by Michael Parkes.  The deluxe edition is larger than the regular edition and makes an amazing statement. 

"In many ancient traditions the Divine creative force of the universe is both masculine and feminine. They worked together, but the principle of action was feminine with the masculine power standing behind and supporting Her. In my painting, Creation, She is creating mankind. This is the opposite of Michelangelo’s painting of the Creation depicting God as a bearded patriarch creating Adam. But why is She painting Adam as a clown? Because she knows by giving Adam life and free will that he will make many mistakes through many lifetimes before he finally returns to Her. And there he is, dressed as a clown, adoring his Creator!"

The Summit is a personal story of evolution on the human level. The woman stands at the top of the summit after a long and personal struggle to achieve more wisdom and understanding. From the summit she can see her journey below and is finally able to remove the ego mask and be completely herself. The bird has taken off the animal mask and has also evolved, becoming more aware than an ordinary bird. The horse represents the dynamic force and energy that has enabled this arduous process of evolution to take place. Although the mask is no longer necessary, and wisdom and strength have been gained, the woman still maintains her softness, vulnerability, and femininity.