‘Lucija the 13th Doll’ by Declan Lee

Description

‘Lucija the 13th Doll’ by Declan Lee

Artist: Declan Lee
Title: ‘Lucija the 13th Doll’
Medium: Pastel on Paper
Dimensions: 12.6” x 15”
Framed: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2017

About the Artwork:

“In the spirit of “Lightning Bolts & Little Sparks” we find Lucija at the moment of awakening to herself, what has led her to this epiphany we can never know for she will never tell.

Her name comes from the Latin “lux” meaning light, she holds up her right hand while her left hangs by her side, indicating the Hermetic maxim “as above so below”. She stands between two pillars, the pillar of severity and the pillar of mercy – Lucija herself stands in the position of the pillar of balance. In Chinese philosophy the element of Wood is associated with Spring, new life and fecundity. Wood feeds the element Fire which in turn manifests through the heart. Lucija is the 13th Doll, the 13th card of the Tarot is Death. The “Death” card signifies change – more often a fear of change, but once embraced it allows for new life to emerge, like the Spring after the bitterness of Winter.” – Declan Lee

About the Artist:

(Artist Bio)

Declan Lee was born in 1973 in Southport England, after moving to Australia he studied fine art and completed a Bachelor of Design in Illustration. An award winning artist and illustrator working exclusively in pastel for its lush colour and delicacy – as well as the strange hinterland it occupies between drawing and painting.

(Artist Statement)

Art is born out of dreams and flashes of inspiration from the deepest recesses of the subconscious where the secret language of the Universe is spoken in symbols and archetypes. Leaving the heavy lifting to the subconscious I occupy my time studying the esoteric symbolism of the Tarot, Astrology, Hermeticism and Alchemy. With a rich vocabulary to draw upon, sketching out ideas becomes a process akin to the “automatic drawing” of the Surrealists which in turn is taken both from Freud’s concept of “free association” and the Spiritualist movement. Just as the content of dreams can be difficult to communicate, the “art” is to capture these fleeting impressions and present them clearly without losing the mystery. The resulting aim is to create artwork with layers of meaning that engage to mind, speak to the subconscious and delight the eye.