The painting “Southern Skies” references the Star Wars program in the United States and the global militarization of space. At a time when peaceful exploration of the heavens would benefit the world community, governments fight each other with impossibly expensive weapons systems that bankrupt each other and threaten complete destruction of the planet. In this painting images swirl as if it is a dream. At the top are two satellites shooting laser beams. A rune floats below them (the runes are part of an ancient Celtic divination system; the rune in the painting is the "harvest" rune which counsels patience and time to nurture life into being). To the left of the rune a warrior eagle swoops down on an unsuspecting sleeping girl, suggesting that there is a dream within a dream going on in the painting. To the far right is a figure repeated three times in a gesture of supplication, juxtaposed with a classical Greek column symbolic of knowledge and wisdom. This gesture is repeated at the very bottom, where a woman blows a nuclear mushroom cloud from the palm of her hand, much like a girl would blow a dandelion flower to the winds. This image suggests that the nightmare of star wars can be dispelled, and offers the hope of a future where we are not tyrannized by nuclear perils. - (CC.0001)Clayton Campbell - Starry Night - CC.0001Circa: 1987 AD Dimensions: 64" (162.6cm) high x 48" (121.9cm) wide Catalogue: V9 Collection: Contemporary Art Medium: Oil On Wood Panel

Art (paintings, prints, frames)
Contemporary Art