BABALON information and inspiration

If it isn't obvious, I'm running a couple of days behind in releasing BABALON, the February image for the Magical Calendar project.  The main reason for this is that I feel it is an image with a great deal of history, and I've been fussing over a multitude of tests to ensure that I feel I've conveyed this in the finished image.

Detail images of two tests:

This are both fairly quick and loose, mainly acrylic paint applied over photo collage. 

I will be releasing more information in the next couple of days.  In the meantime, here are some of my references and inspiration for this image.

Babylon, as described in the Book of Revelation
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+17&version=NIV

Which in turn Aleister Crowley adapted as BABALON
http://thelemapedia.org/index.php/Babalon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babalon

"Lust" card from Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck, as illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris

Which in turn Jack Parsons further adapted, invoking her as a goddess in his Babalon Working
http://hermetic.com/wisdom/lib49.html
http://feralhouse.com/sex-and-rockets/


Kenneth Anger's Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, starring (Marjorie) Cameron Parsons, Jack Parson's widow, as Babalon

 Similar imagery was used in Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis:

William Blake

It's been said that Jack Parsons's Babalon Working symbolically opened the floodgates for modern witchcraft.  Whether you agree with this or not, the figure of Babalon as a powerful goddess certainly brings to mind certain images of witches and witchcraft throughout the ages.  I couldn't help but draw parallels between images of Babalon riding the Great Beast to some of my favorite images of witches riding to the sabbath.  

One of my favorites, Falero's Departure of the Witches:

 

Effective immediately, all Magical Calendar prints will sell for the price of $125 (versus the previous price of $200).

While $200 is a wonderful price for such a limited edition museum quality print, I wanted to consider the length of the project as a whole.  After discussing the matter with several collectors of my work, I realized that many might be reluctant to enter in to such a long-term project while knowing so little about it.

This is a project that I believe in very much, and want other to have an opportunity to follow this journey. 

There is still an opportunity to purchase the Lilith print for January at this new price.

http://rikgarrett.com/store/shop/january-lilith/

A more revealing view of LILITH

The full image now available as a limited edition print:  http://rikgarrett.com/store/shop/january-lilith/

LILITH prints now available for order!

First test prints coming out of the printer.

I'm happy to announce that the first print in my Magical Calendar series is now available for purchase!

http://www.rikgarrett.com/store


This single print printed as an archival pigment print on a heavy weight (310 gm) museum quality 100% cotton rag paper with no optical brighteners (for archival purposes), signed and numbered in a limited edition of only 13.  Numbered prints will be sold in order.

In order to assist those who wish to collect the entire year’s worth of prints, those who purchase any print will have early access to purchase others throughout the year.  For example, if you purchase the January print, you will have the ability to purchase the February print one day before the general public.

As an additional bonus, anyone collecting the entire year’s calendar will also receive for free an additional 13th print not available for purchase otherwise.

Orders in the the United States will be shipped flat, orders outside of the United States will be shipped in mailing tubes in order to easy the burden of International shipping.  If you would prefer your print to be shipped flat, please contact me to calculate additional shipping rates.

Please note:  this sale is for the January image only.  As this is a year-long project, there is no way to purchase the entire calendar at once.

Website update

Please visit my website to see what's new.

http://www.rikgarrett.com

LILITH preview

A detail of the first image from the Magical Calendar project.  The full image will be revealed first to those who purchase the print, available this coming Friday.

The image is a silver print, hand colored and painted.  Other details for the calendar are rendered in india ink and paint.

To be notified as soon as this print, limited to an edition of only 13, is available, please email rikgarrett@gmail.com with the subject "magical calendar."

The inspiration for this image comes from a long history of portraying the figure of Lilith as a serpent figure, bearing knowledge. 

Possibly the most famous representation of this is Michelangelo's Temptation and Fall from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.

For more images of this throughout history, visit here.

I'd been fixating on this subject while on our honeymoon in Vienna.  While there, we visited a museum of Medieval armor and chanced upon this:

It was at this point that I decided that it made perfect sense for Lilith to be the first month of this year in magic. 

Magical Calendar update

Besides working on other projects, I've been pushing forward with the Magical Calendar project - finishing up the little details on the original piece for January, as well as planning the rest of the year.

Over the course of the year, I intend on tying together themes, imagery, symbols and beliefs from a variety of magical, mythological and religious belief systems from around the world.  I'll be drawing connections (many already well established, some less so) between traditions including Alchemy, ceremonical magic, Thelema, Paganism, Gnosticism, classical mythology and more.  This isn't cafeteria-style pick-and-choose syncretism, but rather my personal way to visually draw connections between different paths and traditions.  Rather than being a form of proselytization for any certain belief system, the result will be an open-ended exploration.  

Whether you are well-versed on subjects mentioned or have no interest in them at all, if you enjoy my other artwork I believe that you'll love this project.

The first three months' themes will be:
January - Genesis (Lilith)
February - Language of the Birds
March - Babalon

As previously mentioned, each month's print will be made available on the second Friday of the previous month.  In order to account for the holidays, the January print is planned to be released one week early, on December 7th.

Each print will be 13x19 inches, printed as an archival inkjet print on rag photo paper with no optical brighteners, signed and numbered in very limited editions.  The price of each print is planned to be $200 USD.

January's Lilith print will be limited to a very small edition of only 13.  In order to assist those who wish to collect the entire year's worth of prints, those who purchase any print will have early access to purchase others throughout the year.  For example, if you purchase the January print, you will have the ability to purchase the February print one day before the general public.

As an additional bonus, anyone collecting the entire year's calendar will also receive for free an additional 13th print not available for purchase otherwise.  

If you wish to be notified of the release of the first print, please send an email to rikgarrett@gmail.com with the subject "calendar updates."