Full Circle: Spices and Punk Cabbage

"Okay, I've started the last in the Astrological Plants series," I announced from halfway down the stairs after a mid-September studio session, excitedly calling out the name of the sign and its flora.

JT heard me from a distance and, with just a touch of yuk in his voice, called back, "Spices and Punk Cabbage?!?!?"

Okay. He knew I must have said "Pisces" -- which is not only the last in my 12-piece series, but with a nice symbolism, is also the final sign in the astrological year. (Unplanned; I didn't paint them in order). But from two rooms away, the name "Skunk Cabbage" had become distorted.

Pisces is ruled by Neptune, and of the plants assigned to Neptune, it's said: "Little is yet known concerning (these) plants...it is probable that plants possessing strange and occult properties...belong to (this planet)."

And there is something occult, I'd say, about the way the large yellow capes of Skunk Cabbage burst up through the coastal wetlands, as early as late January -- sometimes in an expanse of dozens of flowers, without evidence of the huge floppy leaves that follow. Far from occult, of course, is the plant's odour which contributes its common name.

Neptune's colours are black and white (as in skunk?) deep blood red, mauve, lavender, burnt umber, burnt sienna. From the first splash on the paper, I felt it would be eerie good fun to try to bring these colours together within my usual complex symbol system. You can see Pisces' evolution here.

-- and TA TUM, the whole completed series here.

I've been asked about the source of the personality traits in each sign's painting. I select them from lists of "emotional characteristics" and "intellectual characteristics" in the book Astrological Keywords by Manly P. Hall (1958) -- and "select" is definitely a key word in the process. (Would I, a Gemini, have selected "duplicitous" as one of the traits for the Gemini painting?") I admit: I tend to reject the more negative descriptors and then check the positives against "natives" of each sign who are people I know and like.

It happens that two awesome Pisces women have played important roles in my life. One is an almost-lifelong friend, originally a penpal from the age of 12. The other is the remarkable Uber-Boss of the two non-profit organizations where I spent my last and happiest working years. Coincidentally, both have birthdays on March 13th. Characteristics: Compassionate; check. Introspective; check. Philosophic; check. Intuitive; check. Executive; check. Sensitive; check.

As for the success of the Pisces painting, I'm pretty pleased with it. It's kinda skunky. It's kinda punky. It's more than a little bit funky. And now, what to do with the whole Astro-Plants series? Maybe I should delve into my horoscope for....a sign.