Odyssey

2015

Acrylic on Canvas   
30 x 40 in

Original

Gallery Wrapped

In this piece, we find Jimmy’s reoccurring ape brothers, Rig and Rex at the brink of a new quest. An environment of subtle lighting, rich textures and Rembrandt-style earth tones surrounds them.

The air in the room breathes with light and shadow. Each object serves as a symbol. As in many of his works the number three plays a large, albeit less readily apparent role in “The Odyssey.” Three blue-green panels hang as an architectural rainbow, witnessing the entire scene. Underneath this set of three is mirrored three different sets of “doors”. They serve as a sort of “choose-your-own-adventure”. The lighted path to the left is wide open and deceivingly easy to pass through. The dark and wicked door stands mysteriously closed on the right. Finally, the stairway climbs in the center as a more difficult but ultimately more rewarding path.

Unfurled before Rex is the opening passage of Homer’s “The Odyssey” in it’s original Greek. This is not only homage to the great adventurer Odysseus, but to the excitement of wonder itself.

The glass jar represents water and life; the skull, death. The seven coins symbolize wholeness or completeness, a rewarding and full journey from life unto death. The piece captures the small moments of decision just before the start of a great life-changing adventure.