“Notice the juxtaposition of the flamingo and the owl. The owl representing wisdom, the archetype of the wise man. In this instance it is in place of the therapist, behind the patient lying on the couch, represented here by the flamingo, crumpled in a state of incongruence*, seeking the council of the idealised sage …”
Nah mate, I just threw some cuddly toys on a bed and painted.
Joking. I did actually place them in this configuration with intention, but it wasn’t cognitive/conscious. It was an image in my head. Interesting to reflect on this – I used to be so preoccupied with what something should mean and how to convey that meaning and what I wanted others to see, that I would have constant creative block and paint nothing at all. Perhaps this is a sign that I am in contact with my intuitive side a lot more and allowing myself to go with it, to hell with what others may think.
Maybe I did set it up to represent the therapist couch. Wouldn’t be too out there – I am a trainee counsellor, I have counselling.. . It has already been highlighted in therapy how ‘Oh, Brenda’ could be an external manifestation of my Self and she’s being taken on a journey; that I’m using a flamingo to express something… really, I’m not sure but let’s ‘go with that’ as they say.
Anyway, glad to have moments where I can let go of the worry and just paint what I see. What a release to get this image onto canvas. This picture is exactly what I wanted to paint and I didn’t stop to ask why, I just did. It sits right with me – that Christmas eve feeling again.
That I can now put something highly subjective out there and risk/tolerate being misunderstood is quite an achievement for me, an over-explainer. (Yes, I know I’m explaining it now, shush!)
*Next time I’m anxious, I will say I am crumpled in a state of incongruence rather than anxious because incongruence is a relevant term for my studies, and crumpled is just an excellent word.
