Meet Jane Katherine. She is my Mother. I painted this portrait of her based on a photo taken in 1947. She, at that time, was a tender 18 years of age. This was before her marriage to my Father. Eleven years before I was born.
While painting this portrait I had many existential thoughts about her life and mine. (you can see a film of this work being created at: Jane Katherine Continuum) Where was I at this time? Our faiths and cultures often speak of what happens to us after death. Not much talk in western religion or philosophy goes into where is the I before we are born? Did some form of you exist prior to living on this planet? Have you ever considered whether there is a suchness or spirit that lives before or after we are here?
I remember learning of the many Catholic doctrines about the after-life as a boy in catechism class but I don’t recall hearing about a pre-life. Millions if not billions of people believe in reincarnation. If you know of other ideas on this subject, enlighten me.
This is a Mother’s Day gift from me to my Mother and entire family. I know that Mother’s Day is not for a week or so, but Jane fell last week and broke her arm bad enough to require surgery for repair (I just received word that she is home and recuperating) so I decided to give this painting to her a little early, to cheer her up.
Happy Mother’s Day Jane Katherine.
I love you, and thanks
… for creating me.
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