Middle Ages’ books of illumination, or illustrated manuscripts, were the apogee of visual intimacy. Because of their relative small size they had to be seen from close, sometimes held in the hands of the viewer. All the features of their characters, the architecture, the flora and fauna, and the landscape in general give an intimate perspective of reality. Through researched gestures, postures, facial expressions, deliberate simplification, and charming distortions, they wrap up the world into a fold of proximity and tenderness. Since both the rubricator (writer) and the miniator (painter) originally used red color (from the Latin _rube_r, meaning red, and _minium_, meaning red lead), I make the drawings of the Rose Garden series in red pencil. The repetitive fine red lines creates a pinkish vibration that translates gentle closeness. To enliven the paintings, l use stones and plants that echo the materials used in ancient scriptorium: garnet, turquoise, hematite, tourmaline, tiger-eye, amazonite, indigo, and more. The theme of the rose garden itself comes from the tradition of the _hortus conclusus_, enclosed garden. It is a sacred space where intimacy and connectedness can happen in safety.

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Rose Garden 12

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Rose Garden 6

Wolves are deeply social beings who create strong bonds with their packmates. They are masters in conflict resolution, resorting to bloodless aggressive games like fake fight, growling, and slight biting to release tension. These are often followed by affectionate mutual licking. Wolves are matriarchal. The female alpha wolf chooses her mate and the site of their territory, and makes many decisions for the pack. She can demonstrate steady courage to protect her pups, even attacking a grizzly bear on her own.

In North American since 1700,

number of wolves killed by humans: about 2 millions

number of humans killed by wolves: 2

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The Pack 24

The Pack 23

The Pack 22

The Pack 16

The practice of tar and feathering was a form of public punishment and humiliation that originated in England in the 12th century and continued in North America up to the 20th century. Boiling pitch was poured onto the victim who was then covered with feathers. Although the removal of the tar afterward often implied the peeling of layers of the skin, the sufferer usually survived the physical and psychological torture. The _Tar and Feathers_ series is about how we can turn distress into strength. It’s about resiliency.

If one throws tar at me, I build roads.

If one covers me with feathers, I make wings.

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Tar and Feathers 25

Myths are story patterns that ground human’s spirit and fuel our faith in life. Their human creatures and other beasts and symbols recharge our trust in our beingness. Their presence doesn’t give explanations: there is no rational reason to be alive. From the nothingness before the beginning of everything come our names and secrets. That familiar unknown gives birth to _Mythix_.

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