Her Majesty: Gaia
Her Majesty: Gaia- About the Project:
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These paintings are about an ancient past we’ve never fully forgotten; a
time before written history. From this pre-historic mystery, we are able to glean some
understanding of what life was like for us from excavations, cave paintings, and ceramic
remnants; in other words, clues from the dawning of civilization that tell us something
of who we were and who we are still. These are the seeds sown in my imagination that
prompted this imagery.
Excavations continue; one of the oldest digs is Catal Huyuk in Turkey: 9,000 B.C. a
settlement of 10,000 to 15,000 people. More recently, another dig in Turkey; Boncuklu
Tepe is dated at 13,000 B.C. estimated to have been inhabited for 4,000 years; had its
own sewer system, and found 100,000 stone decorative beads with drilled holes. Still in
Turkey, Gobekli Tepe has been found (and many similar sites nearby); dated at 9,600
B.C.; not an inhabited site, perhaps a spiritual center? Oriented towards Orion’s belt.
And more, we can cite Crete, 3,000 to 1,500 B.C.; Egypt, Baalbek in Lebanon; Lascaux,
Combarelle, Altamira caves in France and Spain, 15,000 B.C. ; Stonehenge in Britain,
New Grange in Ireland; Ukraine; Stone circles in South Africa: dated to 100,000
B.C.; North and South America: mammoth femur bones with tool scrapings dated to
100,000 B.C. in Southern California. And stunningly, from the Denisova cave in Russia,
reaching back to 65,000 B.C. a find that included a chrysolite bracelet with a high-speed
drilled hole, long needles, flutes from swan or goose wing bones, and the finger bone of
a young girl, dated from mitochondrial DNA, which wasn’t possible until 2015 A.D.
This is just a taste of what has been found and continues to be found. The
Denisovans’ brain capacity was 1800 cubic centimeters; Neanderthals’ brain capacity
were 1,700 cubic centimeters; Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ brain capacity is 1,350 cubic
centimeters. These folks played music, calculated eclipses of the sun and moon,
tracked constellations through the year and years, sewed, wove fabric, painted murals,
built temples, and dwellings, used a form of script (not deciphered yet), created ceramics,
after 6,000 B.C., planted seeds, baked, made beer and wine (5,000 B.C.). and,
amazingly enough, they’re still with us in our DNA and in the roots of our minds; and
more evidently in southeast Asians, Ojibway, Chippewa, Neanderthals/
Denisovans….traces in all of us.
Yes, with us still; subtle memories of an egalitarian social system, peace-loving, nature-
centered, matrilineal, i.e. honoring male and female alike. Fragments of ceramics,
and remnants of structures are what we have to go on; wall paintings, cave paintings,
burials; we sometimes see undeciphered script incised on these relics, signs of an
ancient, singing mother language. One hundred signs, close to prehistoric Cyprian and
Cretan script. These ceramic pieces are the seeds for the following images (36” x 36”)
leading us into the energy of their power and grace.
So, from this ancient past, we can almost remember…we were part of this world; it still
lives in us in the roots of our minds and hearts and DNA. We share this past as we
Her Majesty: Gaia
weave our lives on this blue jewel, Gaia, our Mother Earth. Perhaps we can reach this
place of wild wisdom wherein we are in touch with one another, sentient life,
greenness, waters, oceans….the wildness and wilderness. This is what we are here for;
for this, I came. We’re looking into the depths of who we are; peering into the roots of
the mind; the collective unconscious; the vein of gold of humanity, where imagination,
motivation, inspiration, and creative power live. As we go on, this is our search; this is
what these paintings are attempting to express…..creation sings!
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Luppold