Description:

Although certainly not religious in nature, this painting's title was borrowed from a verse in the New Testament, Luke 23:34. Note: Unfortunately, even though I wanted to provide a link here, I couldn't find one that doesn't bombard you with pop-ups, which I absolutely loathe.

Nonetheless, if you've explored these descriptions, you understand that I count myself among those who do not know, a fact that is integral to my creative journey, as I continue my excavation of the unconscious.

However, this painting is neither a commentary on the state of the human condition, nor a depiction of a dark psychological condition. Although, it can certainly be interpreted as either, or both. After all, I doubt you'll find many (if any) universal "truths" in non-representational art.

Ironically, I was in an emotionally comfortable headspace when this piece was created and, from that vantage point, was able to explore the shadow with more composure than in previous work, cataloging (or taking inventory) of excavated impressions that will probably feel familiar to everyone in some way, because those impressions define "the dark" (the dark that many of us are afraid of).

I have encountered many of these impressions first-hand, whether through personal experiences or through observations; others have been exposed through a deliberate and illuminated gaze; and still others, simply appeared and remain unrecognizable.

Either way, I'm not claiming to be impervious to the shadow's influence. However, my ongoing journey through the unconscious has made me less afraid of what I once saw as weaknesses or threats. It's like seeing the shadow of something ferocious on your wall, only to discover that it's a squirrel on your windowsill. Seeking out these shadows truly sheds light on them, and oftentimes disarms them as well.

Even more interesting, perhaps, is that I am beginning to come to terms with a concept that is delightfully empowering; that "darkness" (for all of its weight and gravity) is still remarkably similar to promise; in that, in its latent state, darkness is really only a potentiality, with no determinable conclusions (at least, not without determined action).

So, as I begin to understand and embrace my namesake, as the archangel I was named after, Michael; and, as an artist whose work seeks to integrate consciousness with the unconscious, it is my job to to capture these dark impressions and to expose them to light; thereby, depriving them of their true power and undue influence.

After all, the darkness we most fear is that which festers and manifests in other forms.