The Journey Series, begun in 1985, follows the pattern of myths, legends, and fairy tales: the story of a quest in which the hero meets difficulties that embody his fears, conquers them, and returns to help others along the way. JOURNEY I was directly inspired by Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces. That piece and JOURNEY II were rather allegorical in their imagery, but JOURNEY THROUGH A DEPRESSION, 1989, depicted a more immediate experience inspired by a close friend’s illness. That piece was also produced as a videotape with narration and music scored for it.

Painting these seven Journeys I was reminded that we are always, however bravely or timidly, proceeding into the unknown, and our pace is quite individual. And I saw the sometimes difficult, sometimes exhilarating journey toward self-discovery never ends, as in ‘she lived happily ever after.’ The journey continues. May we all be kind, courageous, and fearless as we continue our journeys.

Four Worlds So Far: the Hopi Creation Story (portion shown)

210-ft scroll
FOUR WORLDS SO FAR was based on The Book of the Hopi, by Frank Waters. It’s presented as a 45-minute storytelling which has been performed hundreds of times in the US and abroad.

from Primal Journey

one 24 x 24" panel of 28 panels
PRIMAL JOURNEY, 1991, and RE-MEMBERING, 2004, were drawn from the artist’s journals and from shamanic journeying experiences.

from Journey Through An Addiction

one panel of 65-ft long story
JOURNEY THROUGH AN ADDICTION, 2009, was inspired by what I felt someone dear to me was going through in the 1990’s. This is not her journey, per se. It is how I perceived her journey. Or perhaps it is my journey of watching her journey from a distance. I needed to paint the images to assuage my concern for her welfare.