Discovering the World of Orni Sapiens: A Journey Through Art
- Janet STRAYER
- Jan 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 28
Ever since a disastrous house fire, I've been walking a tightrope, unsure about what was once so familiar. Thankfully, all living things were unharmed by the fire. However, so many memories, mementos, cherished objects, and paintings were reduced to ashes, along with our beautiful home on Saturna Island.
Why I Paint Again
Why even bother painting again? For me, the answer is simple: I would fall into a huge dark hole if I didn't. At first, I started with just drawings of bird-people walking a tightrope (see From the Flames post). Gradually, I began painting these bird-people. A new species I’ve called "Orni Sapiens" flew into my life, opening an entire creative world that I wanted and needed to explore and manifest in art. It is a wonder-filled world, animated on my landing page.
I'm now on this imaginative journey further into the world of Orni Sapiens, a realm inhabited by bird-people and their stories, both personal and universal. From poignant to humorous, these artworks envision humans with affinities towards birds, humans transitioning into Orni Sapiens, birds with human personalities and attributes, and humans with bird-like insights.
Orni Sapiens presents a world where humans, birds, and bird-people interact as companions, depicted throughout historical epochs and contemporary settings. Notably, the artist-bird connection is apparent in several works, emphasizing birds as symbols of creative inspiration made manifest in artistic reality.
These bird-people keep flying by, lifting my spirits, piquing my curiosity, and inspiring my artwork. As they manifest, I'll post the small to mid-size works at here and the larger ones here.
For me, they've become psychological and spiritual symbols of our wishes to fly. They represent our desire to escape the heaviness of ground-bound limitations. They inspire us to soar upwards, defy borders and boundaries, and see both close and far from a unique perspective. We can fly freely in our imagination with wings of inspiration. The anthropomorphic "bird-people" that abound in the folklore of many cultures seem reflective of such wishes.
The Artistic Journey Continues
I expect to explore the creative world of Orni Sapiens many times during this year. I would love for you to join me on this journey.
I'm interested in your comments on this and other posts—please click to email me your comments.
As we embark on this adventure together, let’s celebrate the beauty of art and the stories that connect us all.
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