Ancient myths and the gods that dwelt in them are not dead. They are bone-deep alive in many cultures, frequently sleeping at the bottom of the human psyche.
Many tales stir in the soul of cover-artist, Lauren Whitley. She shares her stories, recording them with bold strokes of vivid paint.
From her earliest memory, Lauren’s been a student of Nature, intrigued by the planet’s plant-powers, the deep-rooted wisdom of animals, and the mystical marv’ling of how living beings exist at all.
Perhaps it was Lauren’s granddad who set her on this journey. She says, “He was close to nature. Spending a lot of time alone in the woods as a kid, he would play for hours while Nature bathed him in a reverence for the wild. He spoke of the mountains as living things.”
Lauren inherited that delight.
“Granddad would show us different plants and explain their purposes,” she says. “Plants give us health and strength. Wild herbs, shrubs, fruit, and flowers give us medicine.”
The plants that grow all about us live in Lauren’s paintings.
Amidst leaves and flowers on her canvases, animals caper.
Lauren says, “My painting series, Plants and Animals, is creating a dialogue with creatures like rabbits, coyotes, raccoons. Using imagery and symbolism, I translate how those animals interact with each other, the painting, the viewer, and the artist.”
Lauren spent years reading, inquiring, and researching cultural myths from Cherokee, Creek, and other indigenous people. She also explores European folklore, her focus on the Carolinas, Georgia, and North Florida backlands.
While painting, Lauren works out issues, solves technical problems, and listens to illuminations the images offer from her painting, such as a masked raccoon. They’re rarely seen and less regarded. As hidden observers and clever schemers, they often play the role of high-priestess magician, the mischief-maker.
Mythical rabbits are often tricksters. They play on human hubris, and consequently get into trouble. Think of the Br’er Rabbit stories (West African folklore).
Lauren says, ”I painted two rabbits and a violet leaf. Violet tea helps circulation. One rabbit was suffering heartbreak. Metaphysically, violet tea softens edges in body and spirit. The heartbreak, the leaves, the medicine, and the reconnection lead the rabbit and the viewer deeper, inviting self-relaxation and softening through the pain.”
If you asked Lauren her favorite beast, she’d say coyote.
“Coyote is me,” she says. “I often insert one, myself, into paintings. A kind of on-the-edge character. The way coyotes deal with things is a nuisance. It’s frightening, yet alluring. Coyotes are wild characters.
“I painted a boy coyote in whirling colors with a veil over his face. The revelation: I am going through a process, not knowing the outcome. I’m reminded it’s okay to be in chaos. I’ll be patient. Reflecting on the coyote helps me with patience and self-acceptance.”
Lauren’s paintings are layers deep with myth, color, symbolism, drama, lesson, magic, history, and so much more. Visit her framed, original paintings at Full House Gallery in Highlands. The remaining series is for sale on her website, unframed. Visit her at laurenjwhitleyart.com.med. Website: laurenjwhitleyart.com.
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