Artists Registry

Isle of Prayers. Oil 2001. I was born in NYC and lived there for 38 years. I grew up in the Bronx and as a child and subsequent adult, Manhattan was my playground and workspace. I played in the museums and Central Park. I worked in the tall buildings. I lived in Manhattan for 14 years. The events of September 11 were incredibly shocking and became pervasively sad for me. My family and friends were there, some barely escaping the horror. A former employer, Marsh & McLennan, lost 300 people. In times of chaos, our mind seeks order. This painting came together in a week. I wanted to do a colorful, healing painting seeking beauty out of ugliness. I wanted to pray with my paint. For now, I am living moment to moment; every breath rebuilding our future. We can rebuild our world and it must begin with ourselves. I am reminded that everyday we must be prepared to face our own death. It is through our imminent death that we can learn to live and love more fully.Our Lady of Guadalupe hears all the prayers of Christians and non-Christians alike. She is most merciful. She cries for the children; the thousands of children left without fathers or mothers or both. She transcends economic class and race. She cries for white collar and blue collar workers as well as the undocumented aliens. Who will take care of their children? She cries with the petitioners of prayer. She is our great mother, compassionate, supportive and ever loving. I see Manhattan as an island of prayers. I chose to paint the collective prayers by using a candle skyline instead of an architectural skyline. In the end, it is the people who worked in the buildings who are more important than the buildings themselves.The spirit of the people in the towers is still there thus the transparent glaze. For some, the workplace became their burial ground. The colors of the chakra system ride the towers to the top. This rainbow also represents all of the religions of the people who worked in the towers. This idea developed before I saw the NY Times rendition of the towers of light. This is what Jung calls "synchronicity." The three butterflies represent the soul's journey and the three cities that were hit by the planes. The butterfly on the flower is from a photo sent to me by friends Kevin Heath and Geri Clark in Staten Island, taken the day after the tragedy. Their garden was filled with butterflies. Souls ascending. The rose is God's perfect undying love for us. The hand of Lady Liberty reminds us of what this country is about: freedom and liberty. It is lit with the other candles. I designated specific candles for the rescue workers and "carved" it into the wax and anointed them in my mind. On one candle I anointed the world's religions. The lily symbolizes resurrection, flowers always reminding us of the cycle of birth and death.I choose not to hate for that is the way of the enemy. I choose to love for that is the way of God. My heart and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy…especially our children.