I worked in the studio last night and most of today.

And this was the result (unless it changes again).

It was supposed to be an exercise in the painting ‘process’ but even still I found it hard to overlook the results part.  This painting went through several transformations before ending up this way.

Something interesting I’ve noticed is that whenever I’m working on something and begin to feel frustrated with the results, I tend to add circles – sort of as a last resort – – ‘well, I’ll try the circles and if that doesn’t work….”

Its my comfort paint; the brownie equivalent when things aren’t going my way.

That got me to thinking…so I decided to see what I could find on the topic.

Here’s what I found.

The circle symbol meaning is universal – it represents the infinite nature of energy and the symbol of the universe.

The Circle Christian Symbol represents eternity. The circle symbolizes eternity as it has no beginning or end. Because of this many early Christians believed that there was something divine in circles. Early astronomy and astrology was connected to the divine for most medieval scholars, the circular shape of the sun, moon and the planets were related to God’s act of Creation.

To the Native North American Indians, the circle is the sun, the moon and her children… man and woman. Consider the circle symbol meaning in conjunction with the Native medicine wheels. The medicine wheel gives the sense of the integration of spirit and man, combined for the purpose of greater spiritual understanding and evolution.

Circles were protective emblems to the Celtic mind. Circles were often drawn as protective boundaries, not to be crossed by enemy or evil forces.

In Chinese symbology, the circle expresses the shape of heaven, with earth signified by a square. When we see a square inside a circle in Chinese art, it represents the union between heaven and earth. The deeply significant yin yang symbol is circular, encompassing the whole of duality with a unified balance.

This juxtaposition is mirrored in symbology expressed by Dr. Jung. He viewed the circle as an geometric archetype of the psyche. When combined with a square it explains the relationship or balance between psyche and body.

What’s even better, is that the circle includes us in the grand scheme. In fact, when any symbol is shown with a circle around the symbol it asks the viewer to be drawn in and to be included in the experience of whatever symbolic message the center may hold.

The circle invites the observer to step inside…

Interesting, isn’t it?

This taken from the on-line article, “Circle Symbols-What do they mean?” by Dixie Allan.