The Sense of Symbolism
Most of the artwork on the symbolism pages were carried out in the spirit of self expression and exploration. I wasn't aiming at any kind of buyer's market, but was simply expressing how I felt about a particular situation in my life at that point in time. I find that this kind of artwork can be very carthatic in that it brings to the surface feelings that might not even have been evident at the time of creating them. I personally find the process fascinating as I never have a clue what is going to appear on the page, but simply follow a kind of stream of consciousness in which one image leads on to the next, or even merges into the next, so that the definition between each consecutive image become blurred and reality less obvious.
As a therapist I've used this type of artwork in my work with others, although not for the sake of psychoanalysis, as I tend to believe that only the artist themselves really knows what their artwork means. I tend to veer toward the school of thought that believes it would be invasive and presumtuous, not to mention dangerous and misleading, to impose my interpretation on someone else's artwork. By this, I mean that it would be all too easy to put ideas into someone's head that may not even have been there in the first place. However, what I do hope to do, is to facilitate a process in which the individual may have more confidence in their ability to be creative and to use their creativity both for enjoyment and also as a means of self expression.
I've chosen to explain the symbolism of some of the images on this page so as to provide visitors with some idea of how the symbolism works. And also perhaps, to inspire the more creatively inclined to experiment in their own creative process of self expression and discovery. In this way they may find not only a source of joy at discovering their own creativity, but also a safe means of channelling their own emotions into a process more rewarding than that of stress or illness.
The Blue Room:
This rather grim image partly originated from some fictional work I was writing at the time, but was also a means of absolving some of the emotional upheaval I was going through at the time of my marriage break up.
Within the fiction, the image is meant to convey the emotional state of the main character who was (surprise, surprise) somewhat depressed as a result of a relationship break up.
The rather drab & depressing room is acting as a metaphor for the inside of the main character's head and of all the hurts and unhappiness she was harbouring. Outside the window, everything is sunny and bright, but also almost unreal, as in a fairytale, in that it is somewhat idealised. But to someone in a depressed state, it sometimes appears as though everyone else is having a wonderful time, and that they are the only person in the world who is feeling so drab and grey. In reality we all go through various degrees of feeling down or depressed, but the depressed person can't see this and to some extent has turned their thoughts and their feelings so much inside themselves, that they have become rather self absorbed. This is not a judgement, but rather it is a comment on the nature of depression as an illness.
Everything in the image is broken in some way, which reflects the many aspects that have broken down in this person's life: as in broken relationship, broken heart etc. Even the teddy bear isn't in one piece, which to some extent reflects the damage done to the inner child, while also representing comfort as something not immediately attainable to a wholesome degree, which can result in looking for comfort in all the wrong places. i.e. food, drink, or even inappropriate relationships.
Everything in the image is symbolic: the chair with the broken leg is symbolic of the lack of stability and security that now seems to be evident. When we sit on a chair, we do it unconsiously and with some measure of trust, fully expecting the chair to support us. This chair is not going to support anybody, and in this way it also reflects the issue of damaged trust, as well as that of no longer having a partner to support us, either emotionally or materially.
The mirror is also broken and seems to reflect a ghostly face. Broken relationships are to some extent, almost always acrimonious, and self image is usually damaged as a result. The ghostly face is symbolic of this damaged self esteem and also of the shadow side of our personality; the part of us that feels bitter and hurt, even while trying desperately to rise above such feelings.
The vase has been knocked over and the spilt water looks like blood. The petals of the rose are scattered all over the floor, again resembling drops of blood. The rose has been used as a symbol of love for time immemorial, so this of course is what this image represents; the drops of blood being symbolic of heartbreak, the spilt vase reflecting the upheaval of the broken relationship.
Cobwebs festoon the room and reflect the issue of buried emotions that may have been ignored or covered up for God knows how many years. The ripped curtains are a metaphor for the ripping apart of the status quo, or even symbolic of the 'ripping' into each other as the relationship deteriorates into acrimony. The starkness of the lightbulb acts as a metaphor for the sudden shift in the outlook we now have on our life. Suddenly things we had avoided looking at, have had some light shed on them. But it is not a warm comforting light, it's a grim, shabby and dull light, which makes everything look stark and murky, thereby throwing light on issues that are not pleasant to look at.
The stairs leading up, and the steps down to the cellar are representative of our different levels of consciousness, as in the sub and super conscious minds. So all is not lost, as the stairs lead up to something much better and it looks like sunlight, or at least something warm and inviting, might be beckoning from that slightly opened door at the top of the stairs. The human spirit being what it is, there is always hope, it just sometimes takes a bit of a climb and a shift of perspective to find it again.
What I find most interesting about this drawing though, is that wasn't created while consciously choosing images to act symbolically. All the images were used more or less subconsciously; it was only after doing the drawing that I could see why I had chosen these particular images. Just as with dreams, the various upper and lower levels of our mind, can be very creative and very healing. All it needs is for us to allow the process to lead us and so provide its own outlet for such deep emotions. Better this way, out of our heads and into creativity, rather than buried and allowed to somatise in the body as illness. All it takes is the openness and willingness to experiment and so allow the creative process full rein to explore.
Surrender:
Oh, I had great fun with this one...! Just about every cliche' related to love and sex is on this page...! The first image I had was of the candle melting into the shape of the female form. I loved the idea of the melting wax acting as a metaphor for the melting of the body into lust or passion. The candle shape is of course phallic shaped, although the candle wasn't consciously chosen to represent this; the flame is also acting as the fire that is ignited leading into passion.
From the image of the candle came the idea of the head thrown back to reveal the vulnerability of the neck; the arching of the neck, once more emphasising the moment of surrender. And perhaps my favourite image of all for this one, are the little red butterflies flying out of her mouth representing the releasing of the sexual energy at the moment of orgasm. In the background a volcano is erupting, (how cliched can you get...!?) the lava flowing down becoming a river of red hot energy which again has (subconscious) sexual connotations.
The tree also takes on the shape of a woman's form, the arms reaching up and entwining into and among the branches of the tree. There's love here too, which is symbolised by the little red hearts of the tree acting as the fruits of passion. A little bird (the bird of paradise perhaps?)is carrying one of the hearts over to the woman as a declaration of love. Stars and sparks of light are exploding all around the woman's head, again acting as a metaphor for the release of sexual energy. Waves of energy are supposed to be lapping at the forefront of the drawing and the rest I will leave you to work out for yourself...
Doors:
'Doors' basically is myself described as a Door; yes, it's that kind of exercise.
A quick explanation of this one is that it is based on my sun sign and my ascendent, which are Gemini & Cancer respectively. Signs, which, to my mind are pretty incompatible and which make me a mass (or mess?) of contradictions! For every outgoing Gemini trait I have, there is another Cancer trait that is pulling against it, so I am constantly striving for balance. Outgoing sociable Gemini is always forever being thwarted by the home loving reclusive Cancer. Prising me out of the house, is like trying to prise a hermit crab from its shell!
So with that I will leave you to work out the others...
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under copyright to Roseanne James & Lightdove art
and should not be reproduced without permission
