From a photo of Dad and myself, taken by Lindsay Park, late 1970s, Nelson Lakes

2009-2010

oil on canvas

1200 x 742  mm

$2,890

Mum and Dad gave us a brilliant childhood exploring the wilds of New Zealand. We had a series of vans, and with all six of us squeezed in, would camp, tramp and canoe in all sorts of places. A shared sense of wonder was the fuel for these journeys.

Dad brought back a CD with this beautiful mantra from a trip to India, in the early 2000s. He heard the slow and deliciously rhythmic song on a bus descending a lazy winding road in the Himalayan foothills. This is other-worldly, trance inducing stuff. It is so easy to slip into the “golden creative time” with it playing, and I often cue it at the start of a painting session.

The song came onto my stereo while I was painting this image and the message fits neatly.

I’ve since learnt that Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the Vedas), is the foremost mantra in Hinduism and Hindu beliefs, and inspires wisdom. It’s meaning is that “May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path”. The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).

I like the spiritual aspect in the meaning. Of “being shown where to look … into the light” and that is what this image is about.