Ryan – Ryan Whitney Artwork

Berry Moist Desecration

This painting came to me in a dream. I don’t dream often and this dream came after years of dreamless nights. I woke up, took out my tablet, and sketched it directly upon waking. The general feeling it evoked was unease and I wanted that to come through in the painting. Depicted is a blueberry, sliced open by a blade, bleeding out to a pristine white surface below. The backdrop is a blackness that has almost a flame where it meets the white canvas. The slightly ominous flame, soiled purity, and broken berry are meant to evoke a similar unease.

Upon researching dream symbology associated with my vision, I found it to be a caution. The blueberry warns of trouble, especially professionally. This warning speaks to me of my reputation and how I should guard it zealously lest I sully it like the white canvas. The title is an extension of the theme, combining words that may cause some unease as well as being descriptive of the scene.

The Tower

The Tower is a tarot card that can represent upheaval, unexpected change, destruction and other ideas associated with radical change. Looking at the world in which I have been working on this tarot series, I see no more fitting symbol for this time that of the tower card. I chose to make it a commentary on the shift around policing in the US and the radical upheaval of the current institution’s public support.

In this card, we see the tower, which has been updated to look a bit more modern. Falling from the tower is a police officer with their firearm on their side. The falling officer symbolizes the fall in public support for armed police response and the system that bolsters this. The lightning which has struck the tower is initiated by the fist of resistance, in this case, the fist of a black person. This is to represent the catalyst for change which is the black lives matter movement. We see the fires of destruction coming from the windows at the top of the tower and fragments of the building raining down. The sky is cloudless and there is a full moon, which is often associated with full clarity and a peak of power. The full moon is also often associated with uncommon behavior among people or unrest in a population. Gainst the moon we see the police shield which once adorned the top of the tower, falling from its high place, another symbol of a loss of power or authority that the police seem poised to face.

The tower its self largely has no windows beyond those few at the top. This symbolizes the lack of transparency which leads to limited accountability. The police shield once again is present with sades of blue representing the way in which the police are understood to protect their own regardless of conduct. Below, there is a scene which is not unfamiliar for the time when this was painted. To the left we have several police in riot gear. To the right we have protesters in common clothing, many wearing face masks to protect against the spread of Covid-19. One of the protesters holds a BLM sign while several other have their first in the air. There is clearly a much larger number of protesters than police, though there visibility is obscured by the smoke of tear gas deployed by the police. One tear gas canister is on the side of the mountain while another is being “returned to sender”, mid flight toward the police line. The entire setting is rooted on a mountain peak symbolizing seeing some resolution to a long challenge, as climbing mountains tend to symbolize struggle and difficulty.

Like other paintings in this series, “Turris” is titled in Latin as to not limit the audience of the painting and to feel congruous with the roman numeral numbering. The title translates to “The Tower” in English. The card generally appears as the 16th Major Arcana in a tarot deck and is numbered appropriately at the top in roman numeral. In the left bottom corner is the symbol for the element fire with which this card is associated. In the right bottom corner is the symbol for Mars which is the planet with which this card is associated. Both the element and planet are very fitting for the subject matter.

The Hung Man

This painting will feature a fairly traditional hanged man, but shirtless rather than with the blue shirt. Just for fun and to not let a play on words go to waste, I will give the painting a reason for being called “Hung Man” instead of “Hanged Man”. The pants will be light blue in place of the shirt and the shoes will be grey with white socks between the two. The hung man is dangling by a rope that is tied to the branch of a large tree (to the left). The tree has few new branches which have leaves growing from them. There is a white setting (or rising) sun perfectly centered at the head of the hung man. The sky is blue and clear. There are some butterflies on the tree and a cocoon hanging from one of the limbs on the right side. To the left of the hung man, there are large hills in the distance and a small stream that snakes its way to a pond near the tree. The painting will have the traditional roman number XII at the top and will be titled in Latin at the bottom (Homo Suspensus).

The Fool

My fool is a young man doing a handstand with his head bent back smelling a white rose from a bush. The rose bush is growing on a ledge of a cliff. Under his hands the stick holding his rucksack. The fool’s belongings are on a ledge dangling over the cliff. The white shirt of the fool is fallen towards his head exposing his stomach, and his brown leather pants and yellow boots are over his head. He has a red feather lodged in his boot. There are mountains in the background and bright white sun in the sky and a valley below with a river and trees. The path ahead moves upward along the cliff. There is a white dog pulling on his shit away from the ledge. The card has the traditional 0 at the top and is titled in Latin at the bottom: “Scurra”. The painting will, like others in the series, have the elemental symbol of the card (air) in the left bottom corner and the planetary symbol for the card (Uranus) in the right bottom corner.

The Magician

This painting is the second in my tarot series. This card drew me in for a few reasons, not the least of which is my close friendship to a follower of the chaos magic tradition. I also see this card as a unifying card that ties a tarot deck together given its connection to all the suits and its role in expressing a connection between the material world and spiritual world. This painting is also full of symbiology and is just a beautiful card in general.

The card features a Magician before an altar where he has gathered the four suits of the tarot. These may be items he has crafted himself or not, but he is definitely in this moment imbuing them with power and purpose. He is calling on the four elements under the full moon to charge these four suits with his intent for them. His forefingers point both up toward the heavens and down toward the earth representing the connection which he serves between the two. In his upward stretched hand he holds a scroll from which he is reading. The scroll is a symbol of ancient knowledge that the magician uses to work his will.

The painting has a purple sky, symbolizing the void and source of magic and green earth below for the earthly, physical realm of humanity. The moon is full as many believe this is a time of greater power. The river represents water, the mountains represent earth, the clouds represent air, and the torches represent fire. The four elements are also displayed two other times, first on the magician’s belt and second on the front of the altar with the four triangular representations. Above the magician’s head is a cloud forming the infinity symbol which represents unlimited possiblity, dimensions, and power.

Behind the mage is a Hawthorn tree which is often associated with magical enchantment, dualism, the union of opposites, protection, and several other relevant concepts. The tree also represents life and growth from the earth toward the heavens. The river in the background flows toward the alter from the mountains representing the flow of energy from on high to the magician below. The mountains climb higher to with the up-pointed hand of the magician. This is the earth reaching for the heavens, wanting to be united with the void.

Upon the altar, lay the four suits, which could also be associated with the four elements, though that is not their primary symbology. The cup, which is associated with water, is imbued by the magician with the emotions of humanity. The cup speaks to how we feel, our love, and our relationships. The coin/pentacle, which is associated with the earth, is imbued by the magician with the practical concerns of humanity. The coin speaks to our material needs and financial considerations. The sword, which is associated with air, is imbued by the magician with the challenges of humanity. The sword speaks to the conflict, efforts, and trouble we face during our lives. Finally, the wand, which is associated with fire, is imbued by the magician with the inspiration of humanity. The wand represents our passion, creativity, and cleverness. These four suits sit in front of a black and which candle which is used to represent the darker and lighter side which exists in each suit as well as being a focusing tool for the ritual on the altar.

The painting is traditionally marked with roman numeral 1 and is titled in Latin, “Magus”, meaning “The Magician”. The painting is completed by my artist signature at the bottom left side of the altar.

The (gay) Lovers Card

My choices

When I decided to do a tarot card series of painting, I was definitely drawn to “The Lovers” card the strongest. This card had come up in a recent reading for me, and it occupied a lot of my brain space. Beyond that, the card has beautiful symbology and often comes with a positive message (please excuse my overgeneralization). While it is clearly a well constructed and thought out card, I had to make it my own so I went into research mode and figured out how I wanted to approach this painting.

Being gay, it made sense that I would want to make it relatable to me. If the couple on the original card were representations of Adam and Eve, then mine would feature Adam and Steve. I also wanted my couple to show unity and strength in their union, so they have their hands united across the canvass. What’s more, I didn’t want them meek, but rather impassioned, so the volcano in the background didn’t sit idle but was erupting in the background as a symbol of that passion. They are naked to show their openness toward each other. My couple also doesn’t feature any characteristics of dominance or submission, they are equals in all ways.

As for some of the other symbols, I drew a lot from the theme of temptation, often represented by the serpent. This is where I came across my deity over the two lovers; Lilith. She is often depicted as the serpent from Eden in the Jewish tradition and is a symbol of sexual liberation and feminism. Interestingly enough, she is also sometimes associated with homosexuality as she has a profound hatred for womanizing men. Her loathing for traditional gender roles is also why the couple stand on equal footing in this painting rather than playing off stereotypes. This all associated together too well for me to ignore, so she played a large role in my imagining of this scene.

The serpent in one man’s ear still represents temptation but is also an extension of Lilith. The red apple candle next to the other man’s ear symbolizes the passion of shared intellect and desire. The red candle is the color of the candle that is associated with Lilith and the apple is often associated with the tree of knowledge and forbidden temptation as well. This is a multi-meaning symbol that does a lot of heavy lifting.

Behind the lovers, we find the apple tree and the mulberry tree. The apple tree once again represents a forbidden temptation, but beyond that is associated with knowledge of good and evil and in the Greek tradition with vain beauty. Overall it is not an overly positive symbol to some. While I would like to say gay men aren’t easily associated with vanity, I am pretty sure the well-established stereotype is there for good reason. The mulberry tree on the other hand is the anchoring symbol for this couple representing all the positive traits that make a relationship strong. These include things like: Caring, Providing, Nurturing, Attraction, Exploring, Adventurousness, and Surviving.

I decided that all the titles for my tarot painting series would be in Latin so that no specific audience is targeted and to work in tandum with the roman numberals that are historically used to number the cards. This one is titled “The Lovers” which is written “Amatores” on the painting.

My Process

Writing the idea down

Size matters.

General Layout

Proportions

Refining

Canvas prep

Doing the Painting

Tarot Card Oil Series

A friend of mine recently did a tarot card reading for me and looking at the art I thought it might be interesting to look further into the symbology and put my own spin on them. I will have to pull from several tarot traditions for my inspiration and will be researching a lot of the histories. I have started with “The Lovers” card and will paint others as they suit my fancy. Stay tuned for future paintings and posts about my process.

Absolut Attorney Background

Back Story:

As a political activist, I run into many different kinds of people; politics is supposed to be inherently inclusive. However, not everyone thinks politics should be inclusive, and so from time to time, I encounter a person who believes that they have the sole right to certain activism. While helping out with the Bernie Sanders campaign I met and aligned myself with such a person (let us call him “the sixth planet”), not aware at the time what kind of person he is. Anyways, we eventually had a falling out which led to me suing him (with other parties) in order to reclaim a non-profit we had started; an organization he unilaterally decided should be renamed and set on a different mission. The judge ruled he had no legal right to the organization and that myself and others were the rightful governors of the non-profit. The end, right?

A few days before Christmas 2017 there was a holiday event scheduled for a separate organization, which I serve as the graphics director. I planned to attend the event, as did the Director of the hosting organization. The Director was an early ally in the lawsuit mentioned above and a recent addition to the board of the non-profit. The sixth plant decided that he would file anti-harassment complaints against me, the Director and another party to the previous lawsuit for the purpose of barring us from attending the event and perhaps to have grounds for having us evicted from other events as well. The claims in his complaints were ridiculous and his “supporting evidence” demonstrated none of what he alleged. Even still, he had a court date to hear his complaints and get a ruling on potential anti-harassment orders against us. Despite only one of us having been served a complaint (the Director), all three of us being friends and colleagues, we decided to waved service requirements so that the complaints could be heard together in the same hearing.

We had brought a lawyer, which our lawyer characterized as bringing a gun to a knife fight. We sat and listened to the sixth planet fumble through his statement and then our lawyer went through each item in each complaint and asked us what we knew about them. It was actually very satisfying to answer each allegation. In the end, the judge gave his ruling. He indicated that he found my testimony particularly credible, he found the Director’s testimony equally credible, and the third he found a bit defensive but felt that was understandable and that her testimony was credible as well. The judge did not find the sixth planet credible and felt that his complaints were likely retaliation for the lawsuit a month and a half prior. Smart cookie, that judge!

After the judgment, we went out to a nearby hotel bar to have drinks with our lawyer and just talked about random stuff. It was there I found out our lawyer likes her alcohol a fair amount. On the ride home with my friends, we talked about how grateful we were to our lawyer and I suggested I should paint her something connected to her fondness for alcohol to show my appreciation. One of the two suggested an Absolut Vodka bottle that says “Absolut Attorney”.

The Painting Process:

I started this project by “photoshopping” an Absolut Vodka image that I liked from the web. This helps me visualize how I might want my painting to look when it is on the canvas. Since there was text involved, I thought that it might be helpful to have something I would project on the canvas for more precise placement.

Starting with outlining the bottle and the main text “ABSOLUT ATTORNEY”, I used the projector to help me get the approximately correct placement and dimensions. I also used the projector at the end of the project to help with the placement and shape of the cursive text lower on the bottle.

I used two different size round brushes, two different size flat brushes, and a fan brush. The round brushes were mostly used for the more detailed work, a larger flat brush for the large portions of black and a smaller flat brush for work on the bottle. The fan brush I used to create the blotchy areas that are supposed to appear ice-frosted. I also occasionally used the fan brush for a bit of blending.

For colors, I kept it fairly neutral. Black, White, Metalic Silver, and Cobalt Blue (only non-shade). Oh, a touch of red mixed with black for a slight accent on the neck that is faint, to say the least. I combined these colors arrive at my final composition. Cobalt was mainly used for the “ABSOLUT ATTORNEY” text as well as lightly coloring the bottle and a bit of the light shining below the bottle.

Summary:

Absolut Attorney was inspired by gratitude to my attorney and her affinity for alcohol. The painting was completed on 12/26/2017 in my home on Capitol Hill in Seattle, WA. It is Acrylic on Canvas and pre-stretched 24″ w x 30″ h. It likely took 24 hours to complete in all. The painting was meant to be presented to my attorney but is now available. It currently resides in my home.

ABSOLUT ATTORNEY, by Ryan Whitney / Painted in Acrylic on 24″ x 30″ Canvas