Lucid Dreams: Painting Series

Welcome to my Lucid Dreams series, four paintings based on dreams that I had over the past year.  Thank you for visiting this page and enjoy your journey.

THE FIELD

(16.5″ x 12″ Oil Paint on Wood)

This is the field, I visited this serene meadow during a summertime vacation dream. Adventuring with several friends, we pulled over in our roofless Jeep to bask in the glory of the flora.

I was enamored by the setting while my party continued on towards the beach down a sandy path. I was struck whether to follow or further explore on my own. This dream came to me in a time transition in my life, right before I was going to move several states from VA to GA. I believe the dream was letting me know not to fear carving my own path.

There I sat among the flowers when a otherworldly song called “Listening In” by Dr. Dog played on the car radio. The flowers began to dissipate into light, merging with the sky. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought that I was crying but it seemed my eyes were evaporating with the sight itself. Hurriedly, I reached in my pocket, searching for my phone to snap a picture of the phenomena. I raised my hand and aligned my shot, then snap, when my thumb hit the screen I awoke after a midday nap, showered by the sun pouring through my window.
Good thing I was able to save the picture, haha.

THE CRASH

(12″ x 16.5″ Oil Paint on Wood)

On this journey, I was free climbing one of these towering, vertical mountains like in Zhangjiajie. A ferocious storm assaulted my back while I struggled on towards the unseen top. Then, if nature wasn’t enough to impede my climb, a helicopter zoomed up from around my blind spot and attempted to shoot me down, like a scene out of an action movie.

In a leap of faith, I jumped from the side of my mountain as lightning struck the chopper out of the air. I came to in a cavern near the base of the mountain.

There, from the wreckage of the machine emerged an otherworldly figure, morphing into existence as its shadow began to dwarf me. Without any solid form, it still resembled a cross between an elephant and a gorilla, with fluid vibrant colors swirling it’s form.

What I took from this dream was that I easily become fixated on fantasies and distant goals without addressing present needs or issues. This was my subconscious’s way of dragging me down from my perch and throwing a manifestation of my anxieties in my face.

Needless to say, it spooked me awake, so I guess you could call this a nightmare but it was amazing all the same

THE POWER

(13″ x 16.5″ Oil Paint, Spray Paint, and Gouache Pain on Canvas)

Along a bustling city street, a few friends and I walked, chatting about this or that when we came across an enormous building-wide jazz mural; like one of those paintings where the depiction of the players are one with the music and the setting, morphing with surrealist and cubist vibes.

So we’re standing there admiring the art when the two dimensional image becomes real, physically 3D. Awestruck we walk in and the city transforms to take on the buoyant, vibrant energy of the mural, much like how music affects the atmosphere and transforms our perceptions.

I’m flying all around as if on a roller coaster, seeing the sights and the people and the lights blitz by me until I’ve separated from my party. Alone now in the quite respite of an abandoned park, I catch my breath and realize what I’ve just experienced couldn’t have been real. I must be dreaming!

Suddenly, reality begins to tear itself apart, dividing in psychedelic patterns and melting away, myself included, much like in ego death. However, I decide to test my fortitude, digging my heels to the metaphysical dirt, my soul harmonizes with the waves of reality as I suspend my shattered surroundings, for only a moment, captured here.

To me, this dream represents the transition from childhood to adulthood in taking responsibility for our own lives and finding the power within ourselves to manifest our dreams.

With this painting, I experimented with my media heavily. I coated the canvas with a
black gouache wash, then created the frame work for the patterns by defining certain areas with slim strips of painter’s tape. On top of the gouache and tape, I built up several  layers of oil and spray paint. When I removed the tape, the gouache layer was exposed as planned, creating sharp contrast between a background and midground. I then painted my avatar in the center, brimming with the latent energy within me, within us all.

THE FIRE

(16.5″ x 13″ Oil Paint on Canvas)

This piece, unlike the other dreams, was not one found in sleep, but rather a waking celebration of my vision through the medium.

This painting was made in single sitting, approximately an hour, in which I abandoned any notion of story or context and just painted. To the sounds of “Cosmogramma” by Flying Lotus, I sought to reach freedom through a trance, testing textures and colors, dancing and spinning, flipping the canvas, flinging my brush however my imagination fancied. In a sense, this was a dream I sought and set out to make true.

And with that, I’m wrapping this series of paintings. If you are interested in purchasing any of these paintings, please contact me at petervolpone@yahoo.com

Thank you to Mordecai Lecky, @muhmmorty
Thanks for your time,
Peace