the tree of lifē / the rotten tree of injusticē

the tree of lifē / the rotten tree of injusticē

I’ve created the "tree of lifē" in order to clarify to myself a situation taking part inside my novel “phāntom whispers” which from time to time in I must have a better visual description that will affect my imagination in order to be described better inside my book.

therefore I’ve started a journey to paint all the magical episodes in my book, the tree of lifē is the first canvas I dared to face, and it helped me tremendously in my artistic journey from no-where to nowhere.

I will share a quote from my book,

“I find myself walking in the times without a time on a path without a path in the wilderness of no-where between repetitive twilights that synchronized with the broken sun that keeps arising and setting constantly, a seemingly singular bloody ray of light casts a faint shadow on the arid desert land in the middle of no-where.

long flickering silhouettes are covering the horizon and the skies appear to be stuck in a disturbing loop of repetitive sunrises and sunsets. I’ve never been so intently aware of such a dilemma between the majority and minority of imperial light sources before, it seems like nothing is clear until you approach so closely that it feels as if I am submerged inside and suddenly every detail is vibrantly illuminated, like I was seeing color for the very first time.
I must admit I was slightly frightened / deeply horrified.
I searched for the source where the purple sun rises and walked towards it hastily, suddenly the air became dense and drops of glimmering sweat began dripping down my skin, I don't know if it was excitement or because the heat was increasing. I approached a huge branched tree, its enormous trunk scarred with cracks so deep that I couldn't fight the urge to gaze into them, its withered branches seemed to be older than anything I've ever witnessed in my life, its wisdom whispered through the falling leaves that brushed against my body as if it was calling out to my soul.
I was magnetized towards the core of the tree with an indescribable force, captivated by its magnificence. suddenly I dropped to the ground and became so overcome with exhaustion and rested under its shade, when I sat down it felt as if I had no strength left in my body to grasp on to my existence any longer, my eyes shut and all I desired was to desist being, an invisible force extracted all the energy of life from me, breathing heavily turned to gasping for each breath, suddenly I lost access to my memories, I felt as if I was hypnotized and fell into a deep empty sleep where dreams evaded my descending unconsciousness, I don't know how long I was in that state, but when my eyes awakened I bore witness to one of the most (remarkably unbelievable) spectacunbelievmarkable scenarios I have ever seen. I couldn’t have created something like this in my wildest imagination and believe me I have a creative one.

Words cannot come close to what I witnessed but I will attempt to describe to the best of my grammatical capability:

* pow poo pow poo pow poo pow * sounds of crackling flames emerging and fading around me for what seemed like an eternity in this distorted mental space, there were seemingly thousands if not more of them, I didn't know where to focus my gaze, my mind was immensely overstimulated, I couldn't control my eyes and my vision was dancing in the tempo of the magical fire-dance.

countless little fire-birds surrounded the aura of the ancient tree, his branches that have kissed the dried land now stand firm and are surrounded by blossoming green needle leaves, in between them protruded unimaginable shades of pale yellows and vibrant orange, evoking rounded embers that were molded from lava and pure fire, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of wishing to die in order to become a part of the harmony of the elements that surrounded me, the hellish fruits of the fire tree were resurrected by the sunrise of the purple sun, my eyes are dazzled by the ancient tree that breaths along with the lost souls.
it seems that they were craving to harvest the boiling lava that burns inside his fruits, he keeps reviving every day anew as they ignite around him, blossoming from the ashes of what they once were in order to transform again, they keep evolving and devolving every movement in their neverending dance, from nothing into little tongues of fire *poo pow* like millions of twisted twilight stars of fire that gently kiss the air with their breath of smoke.

the sun is the mid-sky and the birds of fire which are the lost souls that have eaten the fruits of the ancient tree fly free as he has finally released his enchantment and withered once again as the intense rays of sunlight seep through his branches and travel down into his roots like blood within our veins, replenishing his energy. I followed the birds of fire until I approached a02 one-armed man, I could see that he was fiercely battling the ghostly crew of a rickety ship. he fought with the grace of a seasoned warrior, his bayonet and sword striking the air with a force that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. the souls of the lost sailors, trapped in their ghostly vessels, were being freed by this mysterious figure, and I realized that he was a symbol of the struggle for life, the fight against death, and the eternal battle for survival.

as the sun reached its zenith and the apparition disappeared, I stood alone in the cemetery of the giant wood centipede galleys, surrounded by the silent witness of countless lost souls. 

I am not afraid anymore, for I knew that the Tree of Life and its guardians would always be there, watching over the spirits of the dead and renewing them with fire and light, resurrecting them with the divine source of life.

and so, I continued my journey through the wilderness of nowhere, searching for the truths hidden within the shadows of the Tree of Life. I was filled with the knowledge that, no matter how far I will wander or how lost may I become, I would always find my way back to the light of the sun, and to the tree that had watched mankind over the ages” 

this tree is not just any ordinary tree, however, it is a symbol of life and death, of the never-ending cycle of existence.

Its leaves feed the tree with the vital greens of life at night and consumed by bright daylight they are thickening its core thru its soiled roots, the fruits, instead of being sweet and juicy, are molten balls of boiling lava bubbling with a fiery intensity, this is a source of the life force of for dammed, for those who in need for light, for the lost souls.

Therefore the "tree of lifē" is not just a source of light and life, it is a symbol of the magic that existed in the world, a beacon of hope and renewal for those who found themselves lost in the wilderness of nowhere. Its fiery fruits were a symbol of the life force that flowed through all things, a reminder of the power of the sun, and of the heat that gave life to the world.

Size: 77" x 171" x 2"
Materials:  Acrylic, wood, holy water, dead sea salt, magic dust, canvas 
Years: 2022 - 2023
Work capacity (painting): ~160 hrs est. 
Learning curve (Study): over 6 years
Inspiration: a scene taken out of my book "phāntom whispers"

heteronymous:
the heārtist [Jaa'heāl]

ārcanes: necromāncy, ālchemy, trānsmutation, illusiōn, evocātion, sūmmoning, conjurātion, divinātion, chārm