Clay Roueche's Art Prints

Previously I mentioned how Clay Roueche has become quite the artist. His prints are posted on an Instagram account. Well I recently found out that some of his prints are available at Blue Lotus Art Gallery in Guildford so I checked it out. The prints were donated to a friend to promote Clay's art and the positive things he's been doing. There were three left so I scooped up two of them: the Dragon and the Phoenix. They are Clay Roueche originals.

The colours are amazing. The blue, the green, the turquoise, the red, the purple... the colours are so vivid they jump off the canvas and penetrate your vision. I've never seen anything like it. My crappy cell phone picture does not do it justice.

The title of the Dragon print is Wisdom. The explanation states that "in the backdrop the Chinese characters Honor, Loyalty and Respect can be seen which shines a light on the virtues that helped the dragon gain wisdom." In the martial arts the dragon also represents the spirit.

The title of the Phoenix print is Fortitude. The explanation states that the phoenix represents rebirth and resurrection. "In Chinese culture the Phoenix is considered a perfect match with the Dragon, they are often associated as yin and yang." The Chinese characters read: Integrity, Fortitude and Duty. "This Phoenix embodies an Indomitable Spirit, as it rises up on a new mission full of purpose." I felt these two prints were a perfect match for me in my life at this time.

The seven heavenly virtues are Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence. While the seven deadly sins or vices are Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Wrath and Pride.

Back in Belfast the Phoenix was the symbol for the Provisional IRA. At UBC there are five stone carvings that represent five virtues in Confucianism: "Ren, (humanity, benevolence) Yi, (righteousness) Li, (propriety, rites) Zhi, (wisdom, knowledge) and Xin (trustworthiness). The four virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are at the four directions while trustworthiness is in the middle. The centre’s attribute is the element earth. All living things cannot flourish without the earth just as the four virtues cannot be established without trustworthiness."

For years I've had a two piece print of a picture of an empty bench beside a tree with the horizon engulfed in fog. It reminded me of hiking past Seymour First peak in Vancouver. Sometimes in the winter you get to first peak and the visibility is zero. The fog rolls in and the wind blows creating a complete white out. At that point you say OK this is as far as I'm going today. Other days when the sun is out the visibility is astounding. You can see for miles and the view is breath taking.

The print I have of the fog reminds me of that. For many years it spoke to a point in my life where I was pressing forward waiting for the fog to clear so I could see the view. Now the fog has cleared and I can see clearly. Now that old print has been replaced with the dragon and the phoenix. The future looks bright so it does. Destiny is being revealed. One step at a time.

I support Clay's prison transfer to Canada. After his illegal arrest, that's the least they could do.

Life goes on - a salute to K-9.



Update: The owner of Blue Lotus Art Gallery in Guildford states that they have some more of Clay's prints coming soon that still need to be mounted. Right now they only have one left. She said they don't judge artists they just support the art that they create. This is the same studio that I previously saw that remarkable picture of the Sikh Golden Temple in India.