Archetypes & recurring themes in art

Maxine, formal pet portrait and Dave the Cat ceramic sculpture

The philosopher Carl Jung popularized the concept of archetypes, recurring motifs in the so-called collective unconscious, that appear and reappear in art and life throughout the ages.  As I was photographing details of my studio shelves last week and looking closer at ceramic figures that I made in 7th grade, I was struck by the realization that I've visited the same subjects in art from childhood all the way through to the present moment. 

It’s telling that a relatively small set of themes reappear in my creative expression that now spans decades.  There are lots of animals.  I’ve focused on the same features, feline grace and the feline gaze, ladybugs, moths, birds, but also beaches and architecture, specifically houses.  For instance, while studying at the International Center of Photography and working on the series Suburban Night, my thirty-seven year old self didn't recall the ceramic house that I’d made with a bay window painted light blue, just as in my picture The Evening News.  The ceramic house and night photo even have the same lavender color palette, yet were made 25 years apart.  

No doubt there are unconscious reasons for these choices. Making the connection between some of my happiest moments as a 12 year old in ceramics class at Walter Reed Junior High in Studio City and time spent taking pictures, both instances when I could get lost in seeing and in creating, was definitely an “ah ha” moment, and feels like coming full circle. I imagine that this dreamlike return to similar themes will continue to draw me in and inspire me to keep creating, and if so, then I’ll be very lucky.

Bugs from Flora and Fauna series and ceramic ladybug from junior high

The Evening News from Suburban Nights series and ceramic house with bay window