Walking the Dragon Path I
2024
David Stout
This series created in the year of the dragon (2024) celebrates the archetypal aspects of an enduring myth that appears across many cultures in various guises. In the west, associated with fire and animal instinct, the dragon must be slain for the hero to reclaim the hostage feminine and a crowning treasure hoard. In the east, the dragon is a symbol of power, the master of the weather and waters, often said to live in rivers, lakes and waterfalls. It is the fusion of these two archetypes emphasizing a benevolent guiding flow and the promise of a transformational quest that permeate the series. Here, the viewer stands on a confounding alchemical path, where serpentine trails intersect and travel through a dense forest-scape toward an obscure destination. A passage marked by golden ribbons, braids, pearlescent liquid vines and other coiling tendrils weaving through and around the trees. In some cases, the trunks of the trees become porcelain pillars, or totems emerging from the snow. The compositions are predominantly rendered in gold and white, the “dragon colors” often associated with spiritual purification, power and prosperity. Most importantly, these works are visual explorations of flow, mystery and memory as imagined in the winding walk to map our own exquisite neural pathways.
