"The wounded healer"

Sometimes a painting just wants to be born. 'The wounded healer' is one of those paintings for me. While painting it, it offered me the chance to feel the turbulence inside, which we all experience from time to time.

Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not “How can we hide our wounds?” so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but “How can we put our being wounded in the service of others?” When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.

The wounded healer is a symbolic and myth inspired piece. It is inspired by the mythical centaur Chiron who used cornflowers (botanical name: Centaurea) to heal. According to myth he was wounded himself and unable to be cured.

If you have had the opportunity to encounter the mythic barn owl, especially during the day, symbolically there is a message about fear of the unknown, and the courage to navigate that fear.

So if you feel like you’re groping around in the dark, it's time to call on barn owl’s help for understanding what you haven’t been able to know before and making your way to the dawn.

When this painting was finished I hung it on my green wall where it can catch some reflections of the evening sun (see photo). How the gold reflects light is just spectacular. Whether it's daylight or some atmospheric lighting, 'The wounded healer' looks different with each variation of light source. The golden glow playing through the field is stunning!