Life Cycle, watercolor and ink/Japanese paper. 4"x6"

Life Cycle, watercolor and ink/Japanese paper. 4″x6″

Prayer, watercolor and ink/Japanese paper. 4"x6"

Prayer, watercolor and ink/Japanese paper. 4″x6″

The mosaic floor of the cathedral in Otranto, Italy is absolutely amazing. The three aisles each have a tree of life running the length of the church, with an intricate array of Christian and pantheistic imagery intermingled and climbing the trees, in a mosaic that dates back to the middle ages. It is something of a miracle that it was not destroyed by overly zealous Christians who must have seen some of the images as blasphemous. The content for the above paintings come in part from the mosaic, and parts are from a church in Stilo, Italy.