In her February 2018 solo exhibition Landscapes: the terrain within, Rosemary Luckett steps back from exploring the environmental landscape to make art about the archetypes she recognizes in her interior landscape. Over time she discovered the inner guides or archetypes portrayed in art, literature, mythology, and religion, heroes that have been with humanity everywhere since the dawn of time. Inspired by female contemporary heroes and writer Carol S. Pearson's book on the topic (Awakening the Heroes Within), she constructed collages about the twelve archetypes, putting herself into the picture. They percolated in a drawer for years until she decided to explore them further in larger format.
The paintings and collages in this exhibit reflect her interactions with archetypal heroes she recognized in her own life: preparation for life’s journey (Innocent, Orphan, Warrior, Caregiver); journey to becoming real (Seeker, Destroyer, Love, Creator); the return to becoming free (Ruler, Magician, Sage, Fool). Her painting vocabulary includes: Dragons, trees, a child in swing, doors, birds, female figures, a spindle, the moon, plant foliage and flowers, grids, a dangling woman, masks, and horizon lines. If questions are asked of these symbolic images, then the stories they tell reveal much more than is seen in a surface or cursory glance.
The collages in this exhibit are housed in niche boxes made of unique wood pieces sculpted together. They amplify the figure within and recall religious wood retablos found in the Southwest, as well as icons common to churches in ancient Byzantium and modern Italy. Large acrylic paintings also include collage elements whether subtly or overt. All in all, they represent some familiar and some less-recognized heroes as seen through Luckett’s life lens.
