An Animal Totem Deck for Wonder-Seekers
All animals in this Journey Totem deck (48 presently) have been chosen because they've enchanted me either personally, or symbolically. During the year I spent painting these animals, I've visited wildlife centers, gone on many wonder walks and studied books on natural history and animal symbolism to understand the magic behind each and every one of the Journey Totem animals.
Many of the animals are archetypal, but whenever possible, I've elected to paint the species found in the tropics of the Malay Archipelago where I grew up -varieties native to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Indochina and the Philippines. Painting them has been an incredible journey of awakening to my own aliveness, within and without.
This deck is my personal portal to wonder and imagination and I hope that it will enchant your everyday, as creating it has mine.
'My Journey Totem : The Original Paintings' is being released in sets from Series I-IV.
Series I & II is sold out!
Series III and IV will be released in the future. Stay tuned!
How It All Began...
I first started thinking of animals symbolically as a way to connect with the natural world during my wonder walks. Once I opened my eyes to them, I saw them everywhere and a curiosity blossomed. This re-kindled my childhood love for natural history and I began painting animals in my sketchbooks while studying their traits and what they symbolized to man throughout history.
Before long, I was offering animal totem paintings at local art fairs to entertain children who came in with their parents. Much delight (and a few tears) later, I would head home with my heart swollen, thinking -this is why I make art. At the same time, I was teaching an e-course on nourishing the artist's soul and had a vision of Journey Totems- personal animal or object symbols like heart compasses guiding our real life and creative adventures.
Inspired by my e-course and local fair experiences, I began creating Journey Totem paintings for kindred spirits on Instagram and Facebook. The very first Totem painting was during a solo adventure up the beautiful California Coast where I saw a white Pacific Octopus at the Monterrey Aquarium and promptly fell in love.
When I returned home from my adventure, I shared my Octopus and wonderful totem animal stories started pouring in, inspiring the paintings. During the following weeks, I discovered the joy of personifying a personal odyssey through animal symbols. And so 'My Journey Totem' as a deck of animal adventure-guide cards was born. It marries my long-time (childhood) fascination with natural history, and my creative soul's obsession with wonder, symbolism and exploration.
To me these animals symbolize a new way to see and experience the world. To imagine, just for one day, what life (and our art) would be like if we were a rabbit, or a whale, or a color changing lizard seeking the heat of the sun. An excuse to leave the comfort of our studios or homes to explore and let nature delight us.
