Ammonites have always been meant as a personal form of “memento mori” symbols in my art. They are cautionary reminders of our impermanence.
Humans, in arrogant self-regard, think of our species as being on earth forever when in fact our time here has been a tiny fraction of earlier life forms stay on our planet. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth far longer, and ammonites, which literally filled the seas in their multitudes, are but ghostly fossils in the dirt. Their only remaining cousins are the nautiloids, sole remnants of a species which dominated our planet—in the oceans at least—for millions of years.
In HOPE, my representative of humanity literally looks past the threat of extinction to find a glimmer of hope, an allusion to mankind striving for the stars.
My counter symbol to ammonites are ginkgo leaves. Ginkgos are reminders that some species have survived catastrophic events—even the atomic destruction of Hiroshima!—so they make fine symbols of survival and defiance against seemingly overwhelming odds.
I view humankind as being poised on the razors edge between the two fates, extinction or survival and revival. The twin symbols of ammonites fossils and ginkgo trees represent those two polarities in my art.
Plus they look cool.
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Perfect posting for Election Day! Plus it DOES look cool 😎
Love this painting! Really does feel Hopeful !