Higgs Boson VI

Higgs Boson VI was created during a period of time following the discovery when the implications of its existence were reverberating through the community of scientists, more likely pseudo scientists, each sounding off with their version of the “truth.”  Almost as fast as people could read them, articles and blogs were being published suggesting that the Higgs Boson particle could initiate the demise of the universe or that its mere existence negated the need for a creator god. Those opinions firing back and forth at near light speed created an environment of ambiguity, confusion and at times hostility towards the Higgs Boson that showed up in Becky’s Higgs Boson VI.

At first glance it is clear that this painting has a multitude of layers. If you stand at just the right distance from the canvas it is possible to look into its depths and lose yourself in the space it contains. The activity housed within this piece reflects the intensity of conversations that were taking place during its creation. Becky adeptly applied layers of gold, reds, turquoise, and blues in such a way that it is difficult to determine which layer came first. This technique gives the painting a self-perpetuating quality. Once you feel you have reached the base layer you find another, which seems to be beneath it. This self-creating characteristic parallels the way that the Higgs Boson particle aids in seemingly assembling matter out of thin air.

While the scientific details are still being hashed out, Becky’s painting gives us plenty to ponder about the nature of matter and the processes by which it comes to exist.