Michelle Anderst "Psychopomp"

Michelle Anderst (WA)

Psychopomp
oil on cradled wood
30" x 40" 
ready to hang
*Available in-house at Ghost Gallery, available for local pickup or shipping

"I started painting this piece when my father, the tallest tree in my forest, was diagnosed with dementia. I started seeing vultures absolutely everywhere and learned about the importance of their role in composting the ecosystem. They became the central them of this painting, which evolved over the next few years. The last strokes of paint were applied and the painting was officially finished the week my father died, four years after his diagnosis. The skeletons, Chapati, are guardians of Tibetan charnel grounds and they dance upon an opium poppy, which is a beautiful medicine for end of life transitions. Saturn, the planet of time and life lessons, guards the portal to the summer solstice entrance to the underworld, represented by the Gemini constellation. The process of creating this work has helped immense with channeling grief and serves as a reminder of the beauty that can be found in the cycle of death and rebirth."
Learn more about Michelle HERE