More on the Ideas That Inspired My Paintings
New Science: Observer’s Paradox, A Dip in the Fabric of Time, Greater than the Sum of its Parts, String Theory
These paintings are largely based on three books about scientific ideas written for the general public. The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics (1979) by Gary Zukav is a classic. It examines the discoveries of 20th century physics in clear language with all of the wonder of the ideas but without the math. The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems (1996) by Fritjof Capra is a mind-blowing exploration of the ideas and implications of Systems Theory. Although Capra is a physicist, his writing is relatively accessible to the non-scientist. And my all-time favorite, A Short History of Nearly Everything (2004) by the very talented Bill Bryson. In this book Bryson is seeking answers to all the big questions: who are we, where did we come from, where are we going…in short… “what’s it all about, Alfie?” Based on solid research, this profound and witty book explains some of the most difficult ideas in New Science in the most engaging way.
"Observer's Paradox" 12' x 12' Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos 2017
Inspired by “Schrodinger’s Cat”
Do the principles that apply to quantum physics
hold up in the world of everyday physics?
Fortunately for Mr. Cat, no!
" A Dip in the Fabric of Time" 12' x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos 2017
Inspired by The Theory of Special Relativity
Not space or time,
but space-time…and an observer.
See the movie Interstellar…the bookshelf scene near the end…
Space-time as a four-dimensional plaid.
Brilliant!
"Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts", 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by Systems Theory
From open, complex living systems like Aspen groves
To closed, simple, inanimate systems like Matroyshka dolls…
“The great shock of twentieth-century science
has been that systems cannot be understood by analysis…
but only within the context of the larger whole.” Fritjof Capra-The Web of Life, 1996
"String Theory", 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by The Theory of Everything
The seemingly irreconcilable differences of relativity and quantum physics united!
Explaining all known forces and matter in the universe. Whew!
Who knew the universe is made up of loops of vibrating strings?
Musicians!
Birthing Modern English: Caedmon’s Hymn, Vengeance Rising, Debate in Spring, After the Kiss or the True Source of Marital Bliss
As a volunteer for the Pikes Peak Library District, I tutor people who speak English as a second (or third or fourth) language. Often the questions I get about our rather confusing language really make me stop and wonder, why do we say this and not that? How did we come to order sentences the way we do or spell some words in such puzzling ways? So, I took a Teaching Company course, The History of the English Language, 2nd edition, with Professor Seth Lerer. This course has given me a lot of insight into these questions and their answers. I have always loved reading about English; how it got the way it is and what it is becoming. These paintings are based on the first four compositions written in English as described by Dr. Lerer.
"Roof of Heaven", 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by “Caedmon’s Hymn” (c. mid-late 7th century)
In which Caedmon, an illiterate cowherder, miraculously finds the words to sing a beautiful hymn in praise of God
"Vengeance Rising" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by “Beowulf” (composition date unknown, manuscript date 10th or 11th century)
In which Grendel’s mother, furious that Beowulf has slain her son, rises from the sea to seek her vengeance
"Debate in Spring" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by “The Owl and the Nightingale” (c. late 12th- early 13th century)
In which an Owl and a Nightingale trade insults with each other in a debate about which one of them has the most beautiful song and is of the most benefit to human beings
"After the Kiss or the True Source of Marital Bliss" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Inspired by “Canterbury Tales” (c. late 14th century, 1386-1400)
In which an old hag instructs a young knight about what women desire most in marriage, and he is rewarded for good behavior
The Journey: The Call, The Quest, The Dark Night, The Return
Joseph Campbell, the highly influential cross-cultural mythologist, was interviewed by Bill Moyers in the PBS series, The Power of Myth (1988). Watching this series literally changed my life. I was spellbound! It opened me to possibilities that eventually became realities for me that I had never imagined before I saw the series and then read everything by Campbell that I could find. In fact, his work became the inspiration for my doctoral degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He was the first to describe the great monomyth of the Hero’s Journey. Across the world, in all times, some version of the Hero’s Journey appears. In spite of culturally-specific elements, the Hero’s Journey has a characteristic form. I have taken four of the major elements of this great myth as the subject for these paintings. In one way or another, I have painted this story many times. I have also used this idea in my work as a psychiatric-mental health nurse and nurse educator, characterizing patients not as the victims of their illness, but as the heroes of their life stories. The Hero’s Journey has given meaning to my own life story as I am sure it must for anyone who takes the time to study it.
"The Call" 12' x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Receiving an insistent call to action: sometimes desired, often resisted
Symbols to consider:
Animal Guide-Raven, The Messenger
Cardinal Direction-South
Season-Summer, vitality, action, heat
Time-Noon
"The Quest" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Starting out on the journey, foreshadowing of perils ahead
Symbols to consider:
Animal Guide-Ram, The Surefooted Companion
Cardinal Direction, -West
Season-Autumn, change, letting go, gratefulness
Time: Dusk
"The Dark Night" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Facing our worst fears
Symbols to consider:
No Animal Guide- alone
Cardinal Direction-North
Winter-introspection, silence, stillness
Time: Midnight
"The Return" 12" x 12" Pastel over gouache on board, copyright Honey Lea Gaydos, 2017
Finding the meaning/prize, sharing the hope, leading the people
Symbols to consider:
Animal Guide-Eagle-The Visionary Leader
Cardinal Direction-East
Season-Spring, hope, renewal, health
Time: Sunrise