Eco Art: "One hundred million dollars of Love, Friendship, and Trust" by mayah(c)2017. 14 X 14" canvas
The canvas is covered with 42 (4 + 2=6, representing harmony, the sacred) used dried tea bags and 49 (4 + 9=13; 1 + 3=4, representing Gaia)tea bag tags.
The idea of using the tea bags came from a dream my mother told me about many years ago: after her own mother died, Mom had a series of dreams once a week for about one year. In the dreams, Mom was sitting down at the kitchen table across from her mother, and they were drinking tea together. Mom would share all of the news of the family happenings of the week with Grandma. The tea bags represent family, warmth, love, sharing, as well as adding the spiritual dimension of the idea that our ancestors and loved ones never really leave us after they die; they are a part of us.
I drank one cup of tea a day until I had enough tea bags; the effort represents the qualities of dedication and perseverance. Each tea bag tag has a heart attached to the bottom, and on the back of each tag is a $ sign. The hearts represent love, of course, and the $ signs represent prosperity.
Detail: Remember the story of George Washington when he was a lad, and as legend would have it, he told his father "I cannot tell a lie", admitting he cut down the cherry tree? The cherries represent truth and Trust. The Spirit Bear represents my animal totem, one of loyalty and strength, as well as the four-leggeds of Earth.
Detail: The Day of the Dead skeleton represents the Ancestors, and all of the "past lives" I've shared with my friend.
Detail: The round image was taken from a Chinese restaurant's food menu; the name of the restaurant is "Fortune Cookie", so it represents good fortune, and also looks like a sun so it represents the element of Fire. The owl represents wisdom, and also represents the winged ones, who fly through the element of Air.
Detail: The roses are another representation of love, as well as a representation of the growing things of Earth.
Detail: The lit candles represent Spirit. There are 3 candles; the 3 represents the energies of change and growth, as well as inner child JOY and creativity.
Detail: There are 4 of these vein-looking shapes on the art work; they connect the other pictures together. As "veins", blood flows through them and represents the element of Water and the energies of Life. The number 4 represents Gaia.
"Eco Art by mayah" is made from reused/recycled, and earth friendlier materials.
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