'Corey's journey'

This collection is a visual interpretation of the final journey of a best friend and brother. These paintings take you through the last 4 months of Corey’s life, his emotions, his decisions, and his adaptations as he battled with a life threatening illness.

Corey's Journey - Feeling

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55cmx80cm (22″x31.5″)

Year: 2011

The Feeling – this is the first painting in the series. I broke apart his portrait to give a feeling of being incomplete and uncertain, which were the feelings he had before his diagnosis.

Corey's Journey - Decision

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55cmx80cm (22″x31.5″)

Year: 2011

The Decision – this is the second painting in the series. We all had a choice to make after the diagnosis. Whether to use western treatment or eastern treatment. This painting shows the struggle that we had in the decision with the two hands that are in conflict. Corey sits at a distance while his shadow creates the image of an X-ray scan. In the dawning sky you see a small amount of light peaking through to represent the hope that we had in our decision.

Corey's Journey - Treatment

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55cmx80cm (22″x31.5″)

Year: 2011

The Treatment – this is the third painting in the series. This whole image is a representation of the treatment that he used, which was a form of acupuncture. I used the idea of circulation, blood-flow, cycles, etc. Also, the idea that, within the human body, everything as a whole works together.

Corey's Journey - Diet

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55cmx80cm (22″x31.5″)

Year: 2011

The Diet – this is the fourth painting in the series. The firm grasp of the hand represents Corey’s decision to take control and to change his habits for his own health. The hand is holding a scale that is unbalanced. On the plates are different kinds of food that played an important part in his diet. He was told that he needed to stop eating meat, eggs, garlic, etc. which is shown at the very front. There is a candle under these types of food to represent ‘shang huo’, this is a Chinese medical term that literally means your body becomes too hot when you eat certain food. He was told that having ‘shang huo’ was very dangerous to his health, which was the reason for his sudden change in diet.

Corey's Journey - Passing

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55cmx80cm (22″x31.5″)

Year: 2011

The Passing – This is the fifth and final painting of the series. This painting is different from the others in that there is nothing left to show of the earth we still live in, no sky, no ground, no horizon. The urn and a staircase is being held up and Corey can be seen walking in the bright opening that is contrasting with the darkness around it, representing the end of his journey into heaven.