Passing of the Thaumaturgist came about amidst a time of great upheaval in my life. It started as an entirely different artwork, a more surrealistic image of a lone sailor lost at sea. He was aboard a battered, almost broken boat and was met by a gargantuan tiger spirit of sorts that had come to his rescue.

That original artwork was intended to be a gift for someone else, a way of thanking them for their support. But, as it neared completion, it rather abruptly became evident that that person no longer wanted any part of my life - or never did at all. The lone sailor and the tiger became symbols I could not and would not identify with.

This self-profile was painted directly over the original image. The figure, now stripped completely of his dragged sailor uniform, became a symbol far more personal and far less abstract. What remains more or less intact is the meaning; that I have weathered the storm and will weather many more to come.

Fittingly, this artwork marks my first significant step away from surrealism and towards realism.

There is no trace of the tiger remaining in the empty space it once occupied. The Thaumaturgist is stronger in its absence.