Primal Pump by Elena House-Hay

A painting of a multifaceted device with parts that exist in two different environments, one above ground and one below ground. Above ground has a blue-gray background and shows a circular antenna with a plaque that reads “Truth single and eternal alive in glory”. Below ground, which has a brown and green background, the device is made up of wires, pipes, and two hearts with gears. Water passes in a cycle between the two hearts. Two plaques read: “One heart pumps the other”, and “And the vital many"

Primal Pump by Elena House-Hay

Medium: acrylic on paper
Size: 16 in x 12 in (two panels)

Artist statement: My work, “Primal Pump,” is a dual paneled representation of the prompt. The bottom panel is set underground, where two mechanical, interconnected hearts share watery blood. They represent empathy, where two people reveal their hearts and trade essential sentiment. A green tube links the hearts from below, curving to make the shape of a seed. From the coordination of the hearts, truth arises. It is the collection of the many into one: one logos, one mind, one reality. The hearts are part of this honest collection and form impulses of truth. The truth runs in wires that feed into a golden transformer, transporting the truth into a greater reservoir that ascends above ground into the golden ring of the top panel. The ring, like truth, has no end. It flows through the ring and emanates from the coils and transmitters fixed to the ring’s surface. The top panel is massively interconnected, implying there exists a complexity that safeguards the truth: solidarity. The truth, ensured by solidarity, blooms into eternal fact, strong and secure and broadcasts itself into a gray world. The various lines written alongside the visual art voice the connections between the truth process, uniting the panels.

Auction pages for these pieces (each sold separately):

Top panel

Bottom panel