Phoenix Rising

While painting at an Orchid Farm on Maui on Oct. 2, 2010, this painting emerged. When completed, I decided to go home and start again since it had no resemblance to the orchid's setting. Then a friend called me to tell me to watch the trapped Chilean miners emerging from the mine. I had not followed the story at all, and did not even know the men were alive. I was thrilled to see the 2nd miner come to the  light of day in his phoenix rescue capsule. Then I happened to look at the painting and saw that it was a beautiful representation of this event -- a dark cavern exposing a shaft of  light and lovely "beings" rising upwards - a testament to the human spirit of survival.