Shadow Of The Panther by romanceworks
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Description
Black Panther
Spirit shadow
Moving among the trees and leaves
Like a wild whisper
If you listen
You will hear
This power creature breathe
Deeply and calmly
Asking you to follow
To walk as courageously
To uncover and move through
Secrets hidden within the
Jungle of your darkest fears
And when you know the truth
You will emerge
From the shadows
With your power and peace reborn
And you will see
All you are destined to be.
Shadow Of The Panther prose by Carol Cavalaris ©
A black panther walks through the dark jungle with power, strength, and courage. And hidden within, panther eyes peer through the leaves. I've always thought the black panther, also called a jaguar, is such a magnificent, mysterious, and spiritual big cat, and I enjoyed creating this artwork to honor this beautiful creature. This is a mixed medium work from my Spirit Of The Wild - Big Cats collection, created in Photoshop, using painting techniques combined with a modified panther from Jane Eden's wonderful Big Cats product.
Hope your New Year is filled with new energy, creativity,
and the spirit and strength to be bold and brave,
to step out of the shadows and do something you've been wanting to do.
Copyright Notice: My images and prose do not belong to the public domain and may not be used for any purpose without my permission. All artworks in this gallery are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Carol Cavalaris. All rights reserved.
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Comments (15)
mandala
that's incredible!
cwrw
Beautiful Carol!!! This gets me inspired to post an image of my/HiveWire Black Panther we did this past summer!
kgb224
Amazing art work. God bless.
Jollyself
STUNNING WORK... Instant FAV
DennisReed
superb
Swantje
Fantastic work!
mazal50
Fantastic, i love it !!!
crender
Just Superb !!! congratulations !
LivingPixels
As always carol a pleasure to view your wonderful work my friend! Simply breathtaking!!
jendellas
Fantastic!!! x
LG23
WOW AWESOME ARTWORK
nickcarter
Stunning work!!! Remember me "Rousseau le douanier"
anahata.c
One of the spiritual feelings behind "shape shifting" is to absorb the essence of the animal that you shape shift 'into'; and learn from that essence, then take it back 'with' you, when you return to your human form. To many traditional Native Americans, it was a way of learning each animal's essences by "walking in their shoes" (so to speak). Your poem captures that essence, the essence of this mysterious creature and how we emerge from that journey, back to our own path. You speak of finding one's own 'destiny' in such an act, and I think that's a great way to put it. Great poem to accompany this altogether remarkable image.
In Genesis, a legend says that Jacob (the soon-to-be-prophet) was suddenly confronted by an angel, who appeared to Jacob as a protagonist. Jacob had to wrestle the angel all night, until---at morning---he conquered the angel. This was the Genesis writer's version of the ancient "test" that all heroes and heroines had to pass though, in order to become whole, and be ready to embrace their destiny or calling. Some rabbis later said that the angel, by his/her presence, drew qualities out of in Jacob that he didn't know he had: That Jacob needed that confrontation to learn that he had those qualities in the first place. I get a sense, from your writing, that a journey into the heart of the panther will do the same thing: We'll come out of the night, having found a deeper essence in ourselves. The panther will guide us to it, if we let it.
The image speaks that. This is a deeply green image; and your greens run from luminous blue-greens to deep, dark greens. Some yellow greens too (in the fern highlights). And out of this deep green---kind of the inner night of the jungle---you give us a panther walking out of it, sunken in shadow, and very very calm. And, at the same time, it has that touch, that tinge of preparedness that all creatures in the wild must have to survive: Yet, with its feline touch of caution---and it's intense gaze (sizing up whoever stands in front of it)---it is still at ease. Peace in the midst of the turmoil of life. ('The light at the center of life, which is still and knows no pain'...an old yogic vision.)
You gave the cat piercing yellow eyes, which cut through its shadows. And you got its in-turned paw--on our front left, a typical feline paw, while walking---and those heavy "shoulder" muscles (cats have immense muscles in the shoulders of both front and back legs---thus their great power, and ability to jump from heights and absorb the shock as if it were 'nothing'). And the way its back follows him---because of your pov, his back is above him as he walks. And you have your common eyes in the background---something you do in a number of your animal pictures, which always felt, to me, like the spirit of the animal peering through the ages, to protect itself, and guide it. The eyes are like its 'inner guide'.
The longer leaves surrounding the panther are like leaves, underwater; or like feathers. They make a beautiful counterpoint to the ferns (with their normally 'busy' textures). And the whole piece is doused in a deep green feeling---the inner life of the forest. You captured the panther's spirit in your words, perfectly; and the image conveys strength and peace emerging out of the infinite canyons of life, which the panther does so with total balance and aplomb. A beautiful image; and yes, very spritual.
romanceworks
Mark, thanks so much for your amazing comment. Just love what you wrote. I have always been attracted to the big cats and do find spiritual meaning in their beauty and essence. They are a power animal, and yet they are calming to me, in their strength and ability to move through light and darkness. And so I pay tribute to them with my art, and in the creation, there is also healing. I once had a room in the very first house I owned that had giant posters of big cats on every wall. I would sit in there and just absorb the spirit power of the animals. Needless to say, it was my favorite room in the house.
JaneEden
Sorry I am so very late arriving at your beautiful gallery Carol. Oh this is just wonderful what you have achieved here, I love it so much. hugs Jane xx