Anxiety Circus

Description

This was the 2nd painting done during the start of the COVID 19 Pandemic lock-down. I had been playing around with stacking figures in a circus-like way earlier, but this one represented my mood at the time. The white owl represents birth, death, and transformation that leads to the evolution of spiritual pursuits. Most of the time owls represent the death of a family member or somebody close to you. The National Assembly adopted the snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) as Quebec’s official bird in 1987. The hula hoop holding up the owl is connected to the coronavirus behind it.  The acrobat symbolizes calamity and our ability to handle the outside influences that can change our life. According to the Dictionary of Symbols by Juan Eduardo Cirilot, “…the acrobat is a living symbol of inversion or reversal, that is to say, the need which always arises in times of crisis (personal, social or collective historical crisis) to upset and reverse the established order”.  The horse represents travel, movement, and desire. The trout represents community. The jellyfish symbolize emotions, sensitivity, trust, faith, inner strength, organization, power, balance, go with the flow. They are a symbol of protection, but also of caution. They are also a symbol of challenges and delegating duties.