Liquid Hymn is an explosion of colors and natural forms that burst with life from layers of ink, pencil, and stacked paper. Created by Oakland-based artist J. S. Weis, the illustrated plants and animals exist together in abstract formations where it is difficult to distinguish from one object to the next.
Weis cuts out paper shapes, piles them together, and then paints over them to add three-dimensional texture to his painted birds, lizards, tigers, turtles, snakes, elephants, and more. The mysteries of nature emerge from what appear to be chaotic scenes. It feels as though no matter how long a person stares at the images, new details are constantly revealing themselves to the viewer.
Weis says, “I like knowing that there are still mysteries secreted away in earth's crevices, and I hope that we will always have wild places where the world is left to sing its own song. It is hard to estimate the worth of unspoiled places or the impact of environmental degradation on the spiritual health of people, but our future is undoubtedly bound to the fate of our planet.”
The series will be on exhibit at 1AM Gallery in San Francisco, California, starting February 7 and running through March 8, 2014.
