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GLOSSARY OF SYMBOLS
The following should be considered only one possible interpretation among many. These definitions should be considered vague suggestions, at most, and don't necessarily apply to every painting or work as they are defined here.
SPHERE:
1.) as a cosmological model of the universe, or as a reference to cosmology 2.) as a subject (individual) or subjective universe as evident in the subjective nature of consciousness (a red sphere often represents the artist) 3.) otherwise as a subject (the subject of a conversation, query, composition, etc.) 4.) as a sphere or object whose shape is spherical (planets, balls, etc.)
transparent sphere: as a subject whose nature is fragile, insubstantial or ephemeral; as a subject which reveals something beyond itself (see also BUBBLES).
ringed planet or multiple moons: as an indication that the setting for a work could be anywhere in the universe and at any time (as suggested by the apparently common tendency gaseous planets have to support ring systems); as a reference to the idea that consciousness has evolved elsewhere in the universe and has done so countless times.
TRANSPARENCIES
1.) when an object or design: as a reference to pre-conception or expectation 2.) when a person: as a reference to that part of individual consciousness that is indefinable (the essential nature of an individual).
SQUARE HOLE:
1.) time (defined by physics as the fourth dimension; dimensions proceed at right angles from preceding dimensions, therefore time should be a dimension that exists at a right angle to three dimensional space) 2.) as a reference to the passage of time or to events that will or have occurred in the past or future, as a question as to the nature of time, and to represent conscious processes that seem to transcend time (memory or precognition).
CHECKERBOARD:
1.) as a reference to symmetry 2.) (especially when alternate squares are holes) as a reference to trans-dimensional or universal symmetry of the fundamental forces of nature or particles that make up matter (real or imagined) 3.) as a reference to symmetry of place, or the idea that physical laws are universal, regardless of place.
BUBBLES
1.) as a reference to the repetition of spherical, largely empty structures on many different scales throughout the universe (from atoms to biospheres to the dispersion of galactic clusters. 2.) as a reference to the medium of space-time (the ether) in which all things are contained (see also SPHERE).
LIGHTED WINDOW OR DOOR:
as a reference to learning, realization or insight, especially when light is projecting through a window.
ALPHABET:
an arbitrary system of twenty-one characters, each corresponding to one or more letters in the English alphabet, which is meant to represent a hypothetical language; used to emphasize the setting of a work as anywhere and at any time; also refers to the question of the commonality, if any, of characteristics that accompany the evolution of consciousness.
FLOWERS:
1.) aesthetics (based upon the assumption that flowers are a natural phenomenon that is universally accepted as beautiful, as opposed to human creation) 2.) (when from a sphere) as a symbol for human creativity 3.) (when from a hole) as a symbol for an event (and its time) which is perceived as beautiful or positive or for a period of time which is perceived as beautiful or positive
ARCH:
a symbol for the human need to fight impermanence (a practically useless object whose sole purpose is to last longer than the person or people who constructed it and thus to preserve some thought, accomplishment or ideal).
ARCHITECTURAL RUINS:
as a reference to impermanence and the relative fragility of human creation.
BLACK BOX:
1.) as a symbol for metaphysical mystery as an object or human construction (as opposed to the sphere which can refer to the mystery as a subject of which the observer is a part) 2.) as a reference to nihilism or existentialism 3.) as a mystery or unknown.
PILLAR:
1.) as a symbol for accepted truth or belief 2.) broken pillar; as a reference to instability; support for something or some idea that is not seen or is not evident or understood; as a symbol or questioning basic assumptions or ideas 3.) objects floating above pillar; as a symbol for belief in an intuitive assumption, faith or an acceptance of an idea that cannot be rationally substantiated.
EARTH AND MOON:
as a reference to a composition that is intended to be complete unto itself, occupying its own subjective world, or to an idea that includes the earth and its history as but one example of an idea (see also SPHERES).