In my life, I have been Blessed with the ability to fuse together my Greatest Loves: Nature, Art and Spirituality.
Ever prepared by my Parents and embellished by my own discoveries, I have arrived at this revelation: I am a Spiritual Naturalist-Artist….
As a child, my Parents kept me quite acquainted with nature. I have always been fascinated with the mysteries and glories of the sky, the land, the waters and the animals and plants.
I have also been fascinated by the Peoples of this Earth most sincerely connected to this Earth, particularly the Native Americans, of which I am Choctaw by heritage.
There is a special energy moving thru the Universe affecting all things animate and inanimate. I have recognized this movement from an early age and have dedicated my Life to studying and celebrating it. The Lakota have a name which describes it beautifully: ” S’kan, Taku S’kan S’kan ” which translates to
” Something in movement, Spiritual Vitality “. The Christians recognize as ” The Holy Spirit ” the Chinese call it ” Tao “, and most ancient cultures have recognized it and named it as well. I have chosen to describe it as ” The Holy Organic Pattern ” , being that I have perceived it as being the flowing evidence of Creation, the Divine work of God.
To recognize this pattern is to recognize the inter-relationship of all things, and thus I create my Art with a desire to express my appreciation and devotion toward the Spirit of these inter-relationships.
We live in a unique time in the development of this Planet and the Human Race and we are faced with an enormous task: Healing the Planet and providing the necessary resources for sustainability and survival. In the Native American Wisdom Traditions it is said that all decisions we make should take into account the next Seven Generations.
Each and everyone of us holds a piece to this solution, and each of us have a responsibility to share the particular Gift and Talent that we have.
It has been said that every time we celebrate beauty, we advance closer and closer to Heaven. There are many ways to celebrate beauty; be it thru singing, dancing, painting, writing,
praying, the possibilities are infinite. This is the primary principle of the Essential Renaissance; celebrate beauty and you are closer to Heaven, create beauty and you bring Heaven to Earth.
William Bartram the famous Spiritual Naturalist of the 18th Century, in his travels thru Florida often encountered a Spiritual Condition in the Land that filled him with Spiritual Ecstasy.
He described it as ” Elysian ” which translates to ” Heaven on Earth “. In my travels and experiences I have also encountered this Sacred Condition in the Land and it is from this
Blessing in which I am inspired and from which I create my Artworks.
Johnny Dame is available for Commissioned Paintings and Drawings, Murals, Speaking Engagements and Classroom Presentations. His email is CypressEagle65@aol.com.