Remarkable Women at Janovec Gallery

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Oregon chapter of the Women’s Caucus exhibit members art focused on the REMARKABLE WOMEN in their lives. Famous, infamous, personal, or nationally known, women have influenced our lives and our art. This show will highlight these connections. The show is dedicated to the new mural in N Portland on Interstate Avenue, “Women Making History in Portland will”. Women who worked on the mural will be at the opening, and photos of the mural and its history will also be displayed. This exhibit will include one of my sculptures "Fertile Ground" inspired by my interest and connection to the mythological Greek earth mother Goddess Gai and the Buddhist Goddess of compassion and protection Kaun Yin. It will also include photos that I took of the women honored on the Women Making History in Portland mural that I was honored to be able to put my mark on as well. The Opening reception will be tonight March 7 during First Friday Art Quest at Janovec Gallery at 4504 SE Milwaukie @ SE Holgate and will be on exhibit throughout the month of March.

My Inspiration for the sculpture "Fertile Ground" was Gaia and Kuan Yin

Gaia Spirit: Earth, Sea and Sky ~
Kuan Yin: Goddess of compassion and protection

Gaia or Gaea, known as Earth or Mother Earth (the Greek common noun for "land" is ge or ga). She was an early earth goddess and it is written that Gaia was born from Chaos, the great void of emptiness within the universe. She gave birth to Pontus (the Sea) and Uranus (the Sky).

To protect her children Gaia hid them all within herself.

“Gaia the eternal, prehistoric earth mother goddess, is fertility incarnate, moist, mysterious and strong. She is life energy itself; everything that lives, overflows with her life. She is the earth and all the powers of the earth. As a goddess of the soul, she reminds us that the soul develops in dark places and that ultimately soul must be rooted in body, in earth”-Michael Babcock reflecting on the paintings of Susan Seddon Boulet.

Like Gaia, the divine female Kuan Yin, is the beloved Buddhist goddess of over a billion people the world over. Her name too signifies her compassionate nature, literally meaning

'One who hears the cries of the world'

When a child plays on her lap, or children at her feet, they symbolize not only newborn and/or spiritual life, but also Mother Nature whose mysterious powers continually produce, sustain, destroy, and renew life throughout the universe. One of the several stories surrounding Kuan Yin is that she was a Buddhist who through great love and sacrifice during life, had earned the right to enter Nirvana after death.

Let us remember, there cannot be sunlight without shadow.