Cosmic Art: Fire & Ice

Here are two “hot” paintings (fire) and two “cold” (ice). This past week I felt compelled to explore both color temperatures–fire consisting primarily of reds, oranges, yellows, and ice, a spectrum of blues and subtle greens.

Fiery Stardust. Masses of countless distant stars form enormous clouds of color and movement.

Fiery Stardust
16″ x 16″
Oil on Wood
© Cedar Lee, All Rights Reserved

Blue Flames. The title popped instantly into my head when I looked at the finished painting. The electric blue at the cores of these billowing forms bring to mind the gaseous core of a burning flame–again playing with the idea of a cosmic-scaled scene being analogous to something that is, to us, tiny and ordinary.

I didn’t intend this as I was painting it, but I love how the overall composition resembles a yin/yang symbol. Do you see it?

Blue Flames
16″ x 16″
Oil on Wood
© Cedar Lee, All Rights Reserved

Expansion. Whoa! This painting represents the expansion of the soul. Separateness is an illusion. We are so much bigger than we can even contemplate. Looking at it, I just feel my “self” dissolving into everything else and flying into infinity. (Who needs drugs when you have art?!)

And, Passion. The fiery colors symbolize a burning desire and purpose. This painting is alive, and full of movement. It burns hot and bright, and pulls the viewer into a world of emotion!

My hope is that most people can relate to the emotion here and apply it to some aspect of their own life–to me personally, it represents the passion I have for my work: the “art spirit” which will be with me as long as I live, the thing that drives me to constantly seek beauty, inspiration, love and joy through my unique creative pursuits.