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Art and Sacred Sites

~ Glen Rogers shares her artist's journey of travel, inspiration, and creating art.

Art and Sacred Sites

Category Archives: archetypal symbols

The Ouroboros and the Eternal Return

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by glenrogers in ancient symbols, archetypal symbols, Art, inspiration

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ancient symbols, archetypal symbols, contemporary painting, creative spirit, inspiration, monotype prints, Oaxaca Art Vacation, Ouroboros, printmaking

 

Ouroboros, ancient symbol

Ouroboros, monotype print, 30″ x 22″

In my Mazatlan studio, the Ouroboros rears her head and almost bites her tail.

The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting the snake or serpent eating its own tail. There are many interpretations but in general it signifies Eternity or the never ending cycle – something constantly re-creating itself. Carl Jung named it the archetype of the human psyche. It is considered a symbol for introspection.  In Alchemy, it is infinity or wholeness.

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The Ouroboros has appeared in many cultures with the earliest siting in Egypt dating back to 1600BC. The Phonecians used it – then the Greeks who named the symbol, Ouroboros, which means devouring its tail. In Aztec mythology, Queztacoatl, was similarly depicted. More on the Ouroboros:  http://www.tokenrock.com/explain-ouroboros-70.html

 

The Ouroboros is closely connected to the circle and the spiral, two universal symbols that also point to wholeness and regeneration. These two symbols have been mainstays in my work over the years – but I had never used the Ouroboros until recently.

hector-hernandez-drawing

 

What changed? After taking my group down to Oaxaca for the Oaxaca Art Vacation in July, I stayed for another week to soak in the city and the culture. I saw several works of art utilizing the Ouroboros symbol. I bought a watercolor by Hector Hernandez – a very simple cobalt blue rendition painted over some sheet music. I had recently done a series using sheet music as chine colle in my monoprints – so that caught my attention. I had admired this artist’s work over the years.

 

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On a tour of printmaking workshops in Oaxaca, the Ouroboros pops up again in this gorgeous large-scale woodcut entwined with figures.

As an artist, I draw my inspiration from ancient art to contemporary works. Whose to say what and where will get the juices flowing….We all have our on voice, our own style and way of working with the imagery at hand.

 

 

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A Symbol of Renewal for the New Year

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by glenrogers in archetypal symbols, Uncategorized

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Tags

archetypal symbols, sacred sites, spirals

strip of spirals

The Spiral been carved on cave walls, rocks faces and used as decoration on pottery for milennia. It is a universal symbol found around the world from the Americas, to Old Europe, Australia to Africa dating back to atleast 6000 BC.  No doubt this ancient symbol was observed in nature by early humans in plant life, water flow, the wind, the heavens, and more. It signifies the universal life force and implies the underlying energy in all of life. According to Marija Gimbutas, the spiral speaks of renewal as it mimics the snake in its coiled form, eventually shedding its skin and regenerating.

The spiral is an image that continues to find its way into my work and continues to inspire me. It is an uplifting image that implies flow and change – a reminder that nothing stays the same, but continues to rejuvenate. A good message for the New Year!

Page 31 Double Spiral

Glen Rogers, Double Spiral, 52″ x 52″, Oil on Canvas, Private Collection

Reference: The Language of the Goddess, Marija Gimbutas, Harper & Row, 1989

http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/spirals.htm

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Friday Art Post

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by glenrogers in archetypal symbols, monotype, Uncategorized

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Glen Rogers, Lecce, monotype prints, Scritture, Scuola Int'l de Grafica Venice

Printed at Scuola Int’l de Grafica, Venice, Oct. 2015.
Printed over old letter found in a flea market in Lecce, Italy.Scritture VII
“Scritture VII”, 7″ x 5″, monotype w chine colle, 2015

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Spirit Gate, a ceremonial gateway

24 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by glenrogers in archetypal symbols, Bill Gould, CA, ceremonial gateway, Glen Rogers, Hester School, public art projects, public sculpture, San Jose, Spirit Gate

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Spirit Gate today photographed by Dan Gross

 A friend just sent me a photo of this sculpture in San Jose, California, wondering if it was one of my public art pieces. Yes, one of my favorites! Spirit Gate located on The Alameda was designed as a ceremonial gateway for Hester School and installed in 2000. It was a collaboration between myself, Bill Gould, and the students and teachers, and supported by a Public Art in Communities Grant.  

As in my 2D art, we focused on  archetypal symbols inspired by the ancients – the circle and the vesica piscis.  We worked with the students to choose ‘power words’  that are cut into the eight foot steel gate. The words – spirit, vision, wisdom, dream, honor and inspire – form the inner core while family, school, friendship and community enclose the center. The two stucco columns are embedded with broken tile mosaics created by the students that illustrate local history. 

I like the way it looks like an ancient relic situated in the modern world with a design that transcends time.

Spirit Gate in 2000 with its shadow image
Glen and Bill working with Hester students
Students & teacher creating mosaics for the columns

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Inspiration of the Artist: Energy Vortices and Spirals at Newgrange, Ireland

10 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by glenrogers in ancient sites in Europe, archetypal symbols, European Neolithic Art, Ireland, monotype, Newgrange, painting, prehistoric mounds, sacred sites, sculpture, spirals

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Entrance Stone, Newgrange

 Before I visited Newgrange in Ireland, the spiral had already become a mainstay of my visual and artistic vocabulary.  But seeing this symbol of renewal and regeneration inscribed into the stones by the hands of the ancients gave me a greater sense of connection with those who had come before me. The huge horizontal entrance stone covered with intertwining spirals is regarded as one of the finest achievements of European Neolithic art.  Some believe the spirals represent energy vortices within the mound. Awe-inspiring and sublime, these simple swirling lines have made their way into my art again and again – from paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture. 


Newgrange, is a prehistoric circular mound, built by a people in touch with the movement of the heavens. The inner chamber is naturally illuminated each dawn on the Winter Solstice. Newgrange was built more than 5,000 years ago – before the Great Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge – and is part of a complex of mounds in the Boyne River Valley.
From my book, Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place: 
I was thrilled to enter the sacred passageway. It was dark, with a low ceiling, and I walked steadily and mindfully towards the small central chamber. There on a pedestal was a large granite vessel, no doubt used for ritual. Some believe that passage mounds such as Newgrange were built to mimic the birth chamber, as sacred space for giving life. It was an incredible feeling to be in this ancient place where, no doubt, extraordinary events had occurred. For me, it was a moment of profound serenity and connection.
 Artwork by the author:
Phoenix, Oil on Canvas, 5′ x 10′

Three Wings, Stockton, CA

Monotype, from the Form & Spirit Portfolio

Visit my website to view more images: www.glenrogersart.com

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  • About the Author
  • Book: Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place
  • Book: Symbols of the Spirit: A Meditative Journey Through Art
  • Oracle Deck: Spirit Cards

About Glen Rogers

An artist who approaches life with an adventurous spirit and a reverence for Mother Earth. One of my favorite quotes, "Leap and the net will appear", has propelled me on a life journey of art and discovery. Visit my website: GlenRogersArt

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Art gallery

Blue Spirit
Blue Spirit
Notes from Monte Alban II
Notes from Monte Alban II
Notes fr Monte Alban V,
Notes fr Monte Alban V,
Phoenix, oil on canvas, 5' x 7'
Phoenix, oil on canvas, 5′ x 7′
Ancient Secrets II
Ancient Secrets II
Writing on the Wall
Writing on the Wall
Spirit of Place
Spirit of Place
Three Wings
Three Wings
Written in Stone
Written in Stone
Spirit Gate
Spirit Gate
Writing on the Wall series

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