painting series marlene mountain

marlene mountain
painting series 2 'moon peaces : earth peaces'
[39 paintings, 18" x 24", 1 painting, 48" x 36"]
august-december 1979

1) Call of the Moon Goddess

Moon reaching down for woman; calling, summoning her.

2) The Answering

Woman answering (entertaining the idea of offered spirituality). Keyhole (repeated in series). Red oxide suggesting triangle, blood.

3) The Opening

Woman opening wide to Goddess spirituality; letting in the Goddess.

4) Reception of the Moon Goddess

Woman's acceptance of the Goddess. Keyhole image.

5) Innermooncourse

Suggestion of physical/spiritual intercourse betwenn woman and Goddess.

6) Moonpresense

Moon Goddess (diamond) within woman (womb, labium) within Goddess within Goddess.

7) Moon's Night Off: One

Woman's involvement with 'outside' sexual relationship.

8) Moon's Night Off: Two

Vacant or less activity in upper area; temporary disappearence of moon (outer diamond still present).

9) Moon's Night Off: Three

Keyhole imagery: clitoris (circle, moon), vagina (triangle); later becomes moon/mountain (#22).

10) Return to the Moon

Return from the physical; opening, wanting back in the moon.

11) Moon's Acceptance

Moon reaching down with triangle as woman stretches upward (almost phallic).

12) Reaffirmation: One

Reaffirmation of union; moon and woman touching yet separate. Circle uniting them within diamond. Similar to #6 but with separation.

13) Centerpeace

Return to center, woman within the moon.

14) Innerrhythm

First suggestion of inner woman strength/independence, yet, still surrounded, supported by the moon.

15) Moon Underground

Almost a covert relationship; 'closet,' secracy with moon.

16) Moon Embrace

Open acceptance of moon. Similar to theme of #5: suggestion of legs with moon between.

17) Reaffirmation: Two

Reaffirmation, similar to #12. Two-peak mountain shape - later to be realized as mountain.

18) Moon Mound

First suggestion of earth: simple triangle to represent shape/mountain, 2-peak mountain: vagina; moon: clitoris within mountain within moon within diamond yellow moon within 8 shape red woman.

19) Mountain Fold

Woman and mountain folded together. Woman merging with, regaining earth. More independence.

20) Night of Two Moons

Return to sexual involvement, less duality within or separation from moon. Triangle/woman with moon/clitoris meeting moon with clitoris. Moon's approval of woman's physical relationship.

21) Dark of the Moon

Woman dark - questioning both the physical and spiritual relationships. Moving temporarily away from both.

22) Within the Mountain

Woman (triangle: vagina and circle:clitoris) within mountain with moon. Breaking out of moon diamond. Independence stastement. Keyhole.

23) Innerness

First rectangle, becomes side of mountain, #24, 25, 28; eventually #40, mountain/wall. Two diamonds touching (relates to #12) - suggestion of spiritual intercourse, above; physical:spiritual relationship in woman, below. Duality still present.

24) Valley

Last full yellow diamond moon within inner woman. Woman centered within moon and rectangle mountain strength.

25) Moonset

Moon sets within woman, comes within to stay as part of whole, as woman herself. Moon again as clitoris, diamond as labium. Spirituality accepted as part of woman rather than from outside. Less duality.

26) Aftermoon

After setting, afterglow. Power of yellow moon within woman.

27) Cave Painting

First cave painting (this and #31 & 32 sparked following Cave Painting series). Triangle as woman within cave of woman - moon circle becomes cave opening. Strength of woman from ancient days in harmony with nature/moon. Triangles were painted & incised at caves

28) Altarpeace

A kind of diptypch; celebration of woman as moon (Goddess); nonworshipping peace.

29) Ancient Right

Ancient trite of menstruation; relationship of woman to moon phases. Detached spirituality.

30) Celebration: 39

For fun painting. About to turn 40 - 39 a good year. Painted the years of my life within my cave.

31) Cave Painting: Dawn

Triangle as woman as force from beginning of recorded history.

32) Cave Painting: Predawn

Prehistory; forming of woman. Series within series, which underscores the healing process within the series. Beginning resolution of dualities of off and on spiritual & physical relationships.Oval changes from dark to earth to red of woman.

33) Companionpeace: Moon Womb

First oval (replacing yellow diamond). Woman (double peak mountain and moon) within red moon womb. Moon takes on woman's color (red). Less duality.

34) Companionpeace: Orgasm

Woman in lower area contains earth and new moon color. Oval moon/earth surrounds moon and woman. Orgasm: woman finding herself; sexual relationship secondary. Regaining of physicality, yet in harmony with moon. Relates to #20: moon's approval.

35) Companionpeace: Moon Release

Reverse keyhole image. Woman (triangle) stronger, larger; pushing out, spilling into moon area. Release of moon, release of 'independence, 'yet, retaining moon as part of body. Letting go - in order to attain. Release of moon spirituality for other women to experience. Moon 'freed."

36) Amulet

Amulet. 'Found' triangle, female symbol attached to double axe (also female symbol).

37) Stone Painting: Cromlech

Cromlech: stone circles '...clearly places where people gathered on solumn occasions to perform some kind of religious rite,' 'Some believe that they may have been intended as perching places for the spirits of the dead when they emerged from their graves; others that they were simply landmarks enabling the returning spirit to find its own tomb; others again that they represent guardian dieties or are simply elaborate tombstones. Such spectulations are entertaining imaginative exercise, but if we are honest we must say, as so often in problems of prehistory, that we do not know their true significance. The quite frequent presence of menhirs unassociated with graves does, however, suggest that they may sometimes have been erected as idols, or simply as monuments to some particular event or achievement.' (Richard Carrington, "A Million Years of Man, 'pg 182-3.) Menhirs (woman - womhirs): as labium, surrounding triangle (woman) with red moon within red moon.

38) Earth Painting: Corrie

Corrie: circular hollow in the side of a hill or mountain. Earth colored moon with mountain with moon/cave opening with triangle (woman) with opening, etc.

39) Primordium

Primordium: the first recognizable, histologically undifferentialiated stage in the development of an organ. Primordius: original (see primordial). Basic symbols of series; hieroglyphics.

40) Song of the Mountain: I Am Wall

Triangle woman/mountain woman:rectangle wall covering entire 8 shape woman.Encompassing moon area. Woman as cave/cave entrance to mountain: herself, Woman as mountain/wall: woman as self-strength. (bride in Song of Songs: 'I am a wall and my breasts are like towers.' Taoist symbols (from earlier painting Taliswoman: Cloud/Mountain, Water, Earth; #31 of the 1979 '39' series):top shape - Taoist symbol for cloud/mountain - became clitoris middle shape - Taoist symbol for water - became vagina bottom shape - Taoist symbol for earth - became anus on white (primordial) 'canvas' - rebirth. I am aware of my sexuality, body. I am aware of my spirituality. I am becoming whole.

double duality: spiritual vs. nonspiritual and physical vs. nonphysical
physical vs. spiritual ----------: beginning of oneness

signed, mm (marlene mountain) January 1980

notes with titles made available at the request of Gloria Orenstein

ps 2 invitation
ps 2 exhibition article
ps 2 exhibition statement
ps 2 exhibition titles & notes
ps 2 'moon peaces : earth peaces' paintings
ps 2 '808 Gallery'

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