The Source 

Michael Parkes gives us "The Source," a piece populated with rich symbols. Here, the swan, traditionally a symbol of grace and purity, takes center stage. But it is not alone. Our artist places the swan in the company of a classical figure, a goddess, perhaps, pouring a mysterious substance into the water, which is the very essence of life. We can't help but think of Leda and the Swan, a motif laden with desire and transformation. Here, though, the scene is more ethereal. The moon hangs above, a celestial body often linked to intuition and the feminine divine. Waterfalls represent flowing emotion, the stream of consciousness ever running. It all creates a mystical landscape, stirring our collective memory. It suggests the depths of human experience, surfacing and resurfacing through the ages. Such images reveal how the past, with all its symbolism and emotional power, lives within us.