The Fountain Of Youth

The Fountain Of Youth

Drink or bathe in the fountain of youth and never grow old.

Three paintings derived from a single piece. I ponder on my before, my after, and my now. The image at the top is called 'The Fountain Of Youth', the second, 'Before The Fountain Of Youth', and the last 'After The Fountain Of Youth'.

I see the forms of people sitting with their legs dangling in, and surrounded by the splash of water. I see a person in the midst of an acrobatic flip as if caught mid-air and upside down. I see a person, arms outstretched as they jump.

Do I like all three in equal measure? Do I want the same before and after? Is there beauty other than the vitality and energy of youth?

This image is my attempt to set my thoughts in motion about my wish to remain young. The three images are one in the same but oriented differently, and with various hues. I ponder on how each image fires up different thoughts. Although the paintings are full with the waves and splash of youth that remind me of playing by the sea, I cannot escape the truth that the before, now, and after are so similar. Not identical because of their orientation and colour, but essentially the same but seen from different points of view. I would grow tied of this existence day after day... And yet I am drawn to it too...

The figures I talk of above are barely recognizable - only the calves of their legs emerge from the splatter of paint. For me, this symbolizes how little of my life is present in any particular period of time. While I enjoy the force and vitality of youth, there is also something far more I wish for, more I want from life. I value the wisdom of age, the experience of being changed, and the confidence of knowing, at least at times, that my feet are on firm ground.

The prospect of eternal youth would not fulfill my need to grow, or my need to understand what it is to live a life. The fountain of youth would be more confining than my uncertain journey. No matter what way I look at it, from above, below, or from each side, being young is one of many states of being I wish to encounter...