The Meaning

In “Dropping the Dead,” the eagle shows hope and demonstrates the freedom to move forward in my relationship with God and with others around me.

Issues…

The skull symbolizes the old, dead, broken relationships and related past issues being dropped into the fire of hell below. This painting developed while I was in a counseling ministry course which I didn’t initially want to be a part of. Later, I realized that God was actually helping me let go of some of my past relationships and related issues. After going through it, I found myself having to move on because, during this process, I was (again) being attacked and pushed out.

Clouds Breaking

The clouds breaking and the light shining through them in the background denotes a new day coming for me in the future.

To be honest, this was one of the most difficult and uninspired paintings I have ever done. At this time in my life, I was staying at a house that I did not want to be in, and, once again, I was involved in another church in another lay ministry that involved me dealing with the core of my broken relational issues.

I was not allowed to paint in my room because my landlord was worried that I would get paint on his carpet, so I had to finish this piece down in the basement with no natural light at all. I was amazed that I finished this piece, and I can remember not doing any sketching or painting for months after it was completed. I didn’t start sketching or painting again until after I moved out of this house, six to eight months later.

This painting is closely related to my painting, “Place Of The Skull” which I completed two years later. The skull symbol is used prominently in my book, “The Secret That Kills / Spirit That Saves.”

The Process

One of the things that I did like about this painting was how the eagle and the skull turned out. The cloud sketch above the eagle, however, was a major struggle and never turned out the way I wanted it to. I left the half circle open without any paint applied at first. Then painted the clouds inside it, and finished off the background with Cadmium Yellow Hue. My lack of motivation and of natural light, in a dark and dreary basement, all contributed to being unable to give it the depth perception that I was attempting to develop.

Shadow Wiping Effect

I used Mars Black and Ultra Marine Blue paint to blend the background with the wiping technique, where I applied odorless mineral spirits. It was interesting how the two paints interacted with each other, and there is a shadow effect behind the eagle that I managed to capture in the end.