WIP - The Sun Wheel (Part II)

For those of you who follow my blog, I posted my initial sketches for this artwork last week. "The Sun Wheel" depicts a variation of a sun cross or solar symbol used by many pagan European cultures as well as in Hinduism. The ancient Celts also used sun wheels extensively, and as a solar symbol I decided to use birds and wasps in zoomorphic patterns around the central wheel. For those of you who see a stylized swastika form in the center of the sun wheel, the swastika is form of sun cross that existed for thousands of years before it was co-opted by the Nazis, and even today is widely used by Buddhists, Hindus and other Eastern religions. I say this, because I want to make it clear that I in no way support Nazism or racism in any form. If you want to read more about this ancient symbol's history and meaning, here is an interesting article.

I didn't get as much done as I would like to have this week as I ended up getting a virus in my eyes and had to not wear my contacts, and as I am legally blind without corrective lenses, this has made getting work done somewhat difficult. Anyway, today one of my eyes cleared up and so now I have one contact back in. So I put that eye to good use!

Current work in progress photos below:
Please click on an image to enlarge.

Anyway, I am leaving for New Orleans shortly, and when I get back I have a new commissioned work I have to do before I can get back to finishing this piece. So stay tuned….