SYZYGY series

The belief of some primitive cultures was that the sun descends into
the earth at the end of each day. After all, this phenomenon can be
observed with the naked eye–the sun drops vertically into a
mountain, or into the ocean. It was imagined that the sun, for some
hours, dwelt in darkness, illuminating the darkness and dark matter
with its brilliance. This notion exists for me as a provocative and
poetic image and as a powerful metaphor for awakening, or
consciousness–light in darkness. It is, as well, a description of the
very composition of matter: Within the apparent opacity of matter
dwell myriad forms of light–electrons and other dazzling particles
moving about ceaselessly, dancing into existence our complex and
paradoxical universe. The world of inert matter is, in fact, alive and
vital, teeming and intelligent.
This series of paintings is a meditation on the sun’s daily descent into
darkness, on the image of an underground sun, of light in matter, and
of the metaphor of dark matter illuminated, alive, even sacred.
Our world, which we seem to decimate and sacrifice so easily these
days comes alive as a gleaming, luminescent entity. My prayer is for
this awareness, this enlightenment, to seep into and to infuse our
own inert, soulless darkness.

Fran Bull 2002