I can’t think of a better way to celebrate blogging again than by showing off a beautiful painting to combat all the other ugliness in the world.
“On a Clear Day” is a painting by the living master Duffy Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan attributes his primary artistic influence to his Baha’i Faith. Baha’i are dismissed by Christians and persecuted by Muslims, which is ironic since one of the three central Baha’i tenets is that we are all equal, and that persecution, prejudice, racism, nationalism, caste and social class should all be abolished in favor of human equality.
Sheridan’s art reflects Baha’i teachings, which include balance or harmony. Sheridan concentrates on the human figure because he finds the subtle attraction in simple human gestures and expressions fascinating. I feel much the same way – I would much rather gaze at a portrait than a landscape. If I were given the choice I would rather see a landscape that shows the touch of people than a wild landscape. I believe that we can connect more meaning to a painting when we understand, a little, the subject portrayed in that painting.
Although I have always been drawn toward the human figure as an object of my art, and not withstanding the fact that I have been practicing all my life to be able to paint everything, I have discovered that my artistic heart is truly stirred by the subtleness of human expression.
…It is not my goal or my aim to make great philosophical statements with my paintings, but instead to explore, and allow my audience to explore, those simple elements of human expression that reveal tokens of the Divine.
There are a lot more paintings in the gallery on Duffy Sheridan’s web site. Go explore!