Ahhh, they enigmatic "Ethyl Lynn"!
This is one of my favorite and most unique mixed media collages in all of 14 years of creating art! I remember creating the original vividly. I felt the need to escape reality. (I used to do this in a much unhealthier way – back in the day – thank God for art!) I was probably watching and reading too much news, as I felt existentially overwhelmed. I kept layering images on the canvas. Nothing made sense. All intuitively chosen and cut and pasted. I wanted to slather on paint. Rather than washes, I used a palette knife. I yearned for circles, and while searching for them, I came across the beetle. This is the second time I have used this very beetle in a collage. This amused me.
I found the vivid image of the vintage woman. She was probably someone famous. When I placed her on the piece, I knew she (and I) aimed for elevation of higher spiritual self – which is indicative by the eggs. Now, who IS she? I looked at the artwork closely and far away. I saw a piece adhered to the background from a very old publication (dated 1878!), and on that paper, I saw the name “Ethyl Lynn”. Aha! Then, the long title came to me: “Ethyl Lynn Realized that No Matter When and Where She Exists in the Multiverse, She Still Has the Same Soul Lessons to Learn”.
Here is a bit more about the piece. I came to even a greater understanding of this piece this once I knew the title and her name! I am fairly obsessed with the idea of a multiverse, where one can simultaneously exist throughout time-space. It's quantum theory now but was always somewhere in my imagination!
As I said above, I was creating the piece with the intention of escaping reality and getting lost in the art. Once I finished the work, I understood that the escape on a bigger and deeper level, has always been trying to escape life’s soul lessons. Ethyl Lynn and I came to the realization that we cannot escape our soul lessons, no matter where and when we travel to... It’s a bit of a gut punch – yet real and enlightening.
Aesthetically, there is A LOT to see and discover with Ethyl Lynn as she meanders about the Multiverse! You can look at this piece and always see something new!
The original has a wonderful home, and I have enjoyed creating a collection of prints, jewelry, accessories, and apparel featuring this fantastical work!
