Just added a new section to the Gallery, titled “1000 Views of God: Calypsos”.

Whereas all one thousand of the 1000 Views of God measure 12″ x 8″, the Calypsos pieces are physically larger. This increased space allows for a deeper exploration within the boundaries of a single painting. The name is derived from “Calypso” (hidden, hider), as these pieces are numbered as fractions, and thus “hidden” inside the larger body of 1000 Views. There is no set placement for these pieces within 1000 Views of God; rather, I create them when moved to go deeper.

Calypso is a sea nymph in Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey, Calypso imprisons the Greek hero Odysseus on her island, aiming to make him into her immortal husband. But Odysseus, tormented by the separation from his wife Penelope, is aided by Zeus, who urges Calypso to release Odysseus. Fraught with grief at the loss, she attempts suicide – and fails, as she herself is immortal. (I totally dig on myths such as this – it’s pregnant with multi-leveled meaning.)

I’m further intrigued by the etymology of “Calypso”, which itself originates from “kalyptein” (to cover, conceal), which in turn has roots in “kel” – the birthplace of the word “hell” – and “cell”. Fertile ground, this is. Another wild twist: “apocalypse” can be traced to “apo” (from) and “kalyptein”, which together mean “delivered from concealment”. So…if the Calypso works are the hidden paintings, the remaining 1000 Views of God are the revealed paintings…essentially, the apocalyptic vision of a 21st century artist.