Doreen Heather Penner Cartouche Painting

This is a brief explanation of my self portrait Cartouche.

The color palette was chosen specifically for the (esoteric) meaning of the colors.

The cartouche border is of shell and vines.

     Shell:  symbolic of the universally feminine – standing for birth, good fortune, and resurrection

     Vines:  simply means the connectiveness of all things

The exterior of the Cartouche is surrounded with Peacock feathers.

     Peacock feathers: symbolic of compassion.  Without compassion there is no civil life.

     Peacock feathers are known as the hundred eyed tail –symbol of compassionate watchfulness –the eyes of Kuan Yen.

At the top of the Cartouche is a Lotus.

     Lotus flower- the thousand petaled lotus, located at the dome of the head, the perfected soul, the seventh chakra. It is at the top of the picture also as the one spiritual thing that is strived to achieve. The highest vibratory frequency.  The lotus flower raises itself above the water and reveals its beauty. It thus stands for the soul rising from the confusion of matter into the clarity of enlightenment. (violet)

     Om Mani Padme Hum (Hail to the jewel of the lotus. The jewel within the self.)

     Silhouette within the lotus flower is a yoga position. A discipline and exercise regime I have done most of my life (age 15 onwards).

At the bottom of the Cartouche:

DHP (center) – my birth name initials appear within the duality of the Gemini symbol, nestled by the cats, and yin/yang symbols) These all symbolize duality and balancing.

The dove and cross are from A.R.E.- (Edgar Cayce) They symbolize my interest in esoteric learning and form the basis of my life’s path. Their position at the bottom of the picture symbolizes that they are the foundation on which everything else has been built. This incorporates my belief system and gives me understanding and purpose in life’s journey.

The yin/yang is the balancing.

Gemini – month of birth. Duality

Cats – on both sides is balancing duality and the absolute love for our feline friends.

Books – love of reading. learning and study of the esoteric

Vines – connect everything together

Butterfly – symbol of the soul. Sits over the esoteric and learns. Its quest is for perfection (lotus) transformation and immortality.

Birds – love of nature. They are also Cedar Waxwings who appeared outside my window on a birthday morning and graced me with their presence. They brought me much joy and education as I watched the pair (duality, balance) raise their offspring. Were they part of the special gift of birds being brought to me by a little brown dog? (or so a psychic stated. From my beloved canine companion who had recently died)

Flowers – love for their beauty. They are “forget me nots.” This is also a reference to my journey with my mom who had memory problems. This journey would change my life drastically in many ways. Karmic??

Sea – love for the sea.  Water is very esoteric.  The shell design around the edges of the painting are symbolic of this as well. As well as my fascination with seashells.

Fleur-de-lis – symbol and hat indicated the fascination with French. My favorite painter is Elizabeth Vigee Lebrun (which I painted a picture of and is the first picture I painted in oils after my “pastel” stint of over 3 years. Also symbol of the trinity of the mind, body, and soul.

Mask- symbolic of the different roles one plays both throughout life, and many lifetimes.

Pearls – pearls of wisdom. From the sea. From the oyster (hidden knowledge and esoteric wisdom) Emanating from the lotus thus indicating the journey into enlightenment.

Numerology:

6 (six) my birth number (birthdate) and “Life Path”.  It is derived from 33 (double 3’s) 33 is a specific spiritual number. This may be symbolic of my fascination, obsession, and pursuit of the esoteric. In the painting the book of esoterica sits under the number 6. The color for 6 is Indigo (sixth chakra)

9 (nine) This number is derived from my birth name and is the Karmic path. My painting palette sits under this number indicating the karmic nature of my art being continued from a past life.  I have unexplainedly always been fascinated by portrait art from a very early age. The color for nine is gold. It is the number of the “ending”.

My palette lays ready on a canvas, bearing the title “Portraits of Life” which is my website name, and indicates how I see my painting endeavours…