| This painting represents a philosophy of creating quality; basically, make ordinary work extraoridinary work, choose your action to make a positive difference in the world, and the rewards will come.
In the painting, the red book on the left is a book of Rembrandt paintings representing the best that art can be. The blue book contains some of the world's most famous and wisest quotations representing the best in written communications. The candle on top of the books is the collaboration of the best words and best images to createthought and inspiration. The flame represents the innovative ideas inspired from this collaboration.
The coins in the lower center represent fair and equitable compensation for the work that is done. The apple on the right is temptation. The temptation is not to do what we do to the best it can be done. The temptation is to perform our craft only for the money it brings rather than for it's intrinsic value.
The little gargoyle in the center is Little Dedo, my painting muse. According to legend, Dedo was carved by a nun at the time when Notre Dame Cathedral was being constructed. The story goes that the nun disliked the custom of evil-looking, scary gargoyles that were placed at the top of cathedrals to protect the great buildings by warding off evil spirits.
The nun disguised herself as a workman, sneaked into the construction site and carved a strange and lovable creature with large, pointed ears from a block of stone. She placed the statue in an obscure upper roof of Notre Dame and returned to her convent. There the gargoyle statue remained, unnoticed for centuries until one day, when a small boy, who became lost in the labyrinthine structure, fell and rolled down the upper roof. The boy was caught by the smallest statue, saving his life. From that time on, the statue became affectionately known as little Dedo, the gargoyle with the crossed toes.
So, Dedo is in the painting as a symbol of love and protection . Here he represnts the protector of the quality of our actions. He sits quietly in the background with an unwavering, positive attitude, on guard against the temptations that would de-value our work and saving us from falling from the apex of creative endeavor to the nadir of crass commercialism.
Who is Dedo?
Is it you?
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