Eidolons Lost

This is a photo of a painting I bought today, though it really doesn't do it justice. The artist is Shana Kohstamm. I work with her husband (one of our Pulmonary Fellows). Thank the Gods/Goddesses for Facebook, because I never would have seen this without it. Let this be a lesson to all artists (music, writing, painting, etc.) ... online networking works!

After looking at it obsessively (yes, this word comes up a lot in my life...it's a theme) for days, until one night I laid in bed thinking about it instead of sleeping. All right, I said to myself, just buy the damn thing since you like it so much.

The thing that struck me so hard about it is it's resemblance to a circle of standing stones. I can find any number of ways to relate things to my Outlander obsession (here it is again ). In Outlander, Claire Randall, gets taken back 200 years through a group of standing stones called Craigh na Dun.

This painting reminded me of it, and the almost blurry effect makes me feel like someone has just "gone through." I asked Shana what her inspiration for the painting was and this is her description. "Eidolons can either be defined as 1. an idealized person or thing, or 2. a specter or phantom. This painting is about what is left behind when we make choices. Paths not taken, people not loved, dreams abandoned."

Also a theme in Outlander is the question of whether you can change the future, from the past, or is it predestined. Every action we take or don't take has an effect on the future. But do our inactions leave behind a ghost as well?

Whether you see stones or ghosts of the paths not taken, it's captivating. And I love it.

Here's a link to Shana's Facebook page.

Support the arts people!!