Project Background

I am a mustard seed in the middle of the sphere of the
moon, which is itself a mustard seed within the next sphere.
So it is with all spheres, one inside the other, and all of
them are a mustard seed within the further expanses.

—Moses Cordovero
Author, Scholar, Rabbi, and Mystic, 16th Century

In the iridescent art of From Seed to Universe, I combine insights gained from a transformative, Bach-influenced dream with imagery based on a regenerative symbol known throughout the world as the Tree of Life or Cosmic Tree. Together, these two complementary inspirations, one musical and the other visual, describe life’s passage through recurring cycles of change as it continually builds new forms from the seeds and structures of the past.

Beginning from the dream’s spiral galaxy foundation, the separate “organic mandalas” of the From Seed to Universe drawings illustrate the constant interconnection that exists between microcosmic and macrocosmic worlds. With its references to the related meanings of the word illuminate, “to make luminous or shining” and “to enlighten spiritually or intellectually,” this project shares a philosophical kinship with illuminated manuscripts from medieval and Renaissance times but reimagines their meditative purpose in contemporary form.

When the forty-eight interconnected color drawings of From Seed to Universe are finally complete, I plan to present an exhibit of the actual physical drawings—accompanied by a subtly immersive installation that offers viewers the opportunity to mentallly move through a visual portal to discover the alternative reality of the drawings themselves.

For more detailed information about the origins and meanings of my design choices for From Seed to Universe, please visit the About the Art and About Bach’s Chaconne pages of this site and the accompanying gallery page.