|
By Damien Naughton
Limited Edition Giclee Print Size: 800mm x 1000mm
Mixing Spirits
One day, in a moment of nostalgia for that Great Southern Land, Captain Cook surveyed Sydney Harbour from his Heaven to sea.
And in shock he beheld the vision of a great City....
So richly beautiful, so busy and tall.
“It’s so very different from my Sydney Cove”, he exclaimed.
“One of trees and of hardship, turmoil and toil.”
In thinking of that his eyes lock with those
Of a fellow in Spirit still walking the Cove.
And in a moment his first shock becomes comparatively small as he realises and says, “My heaven is far far away, but the home of this Elder, both in body and Soul is here on this land.... not over a bridge.”
And the mother who walks with her son tells him, “Listen young man, each decision we make has impact for ever and ever, like the ripples in water, to affect one and all”.
And Cook listens to her words and says “Sorry” to our Elder, who in that moment looks up and glimpses a probable world of big buildings and roads and people searching for hope.
For his reality takes in what his imagination beholds..... “I live in a land of plenty”, he says, “a place where animals roam free to follow their ancient trails. Where they cross my invisible songlines we meet, gathering souls ancient and extinct.
This is where we can build our bridge.
Fellow Man, I give you my hand.
No apology needed at all,
For we but pass through this land”.
The Story Behind the Painting
For years Mixing Spirits has been Damien’s most popular painting. We see Captain Cook looking down at Sydney Harbour to see the impact his life has had on so many. He notices an Aboriginal man walking Sydney Cove with his thylacine and realises that this man is a spirit and his Heaven is his land yet Cook, so far away, left a legacy to this man which will last for ever. The poem is a must to read.
|
