THE ORIGINS
INFLUX, Chapter One
The InFlux is an epic story told through 333 unique artworks & divided into three chapters: The Origins, The Ordeal, and The Oversoul. Each piece carries its own lore, yet they all fit into a larger narrative we call "The Vertical War" — a conflict between light and dark forces playing out in human evolution and our current age.
The InFlux launched with chapter one, The Origins, in September 2023, featuring 30 1/1s and 3 editions. Physical paintings provide the “raw input” for these animated pixel perfect loops (GIFs).
The first chapter of The Vertical War has been developed into a short film screenplay titled "On the Run" that features all 33 Origins. To read the screenplay, click here.
Click on any piece to see it in high resolution, read its lore, or collect. Red dots indicate sold artworks.
The Origin Stories
Click on any piece to see it in high resolution.
CARBON COP
ORIGIN OF RESISTANCE
A failure of our collective imagination
Our acceptance of forceful control
Quite the combination
Busted for over-breathing — again!
Edition of 128; released with ClickCreate, Sep 2023
C+ KID
ORIGIN OF STRENGTH
He was a young stag with lightning in its glare.
And he wore an XCOPY tie.
grew up rough with a golden soul
LIGHT INSIDE
ORIGIN OF HOPE
More light!
This is how we find each other.
never run out of stars
ARRRR
ORIGIN OF FORTUNE
"Trust thyself. Every heart vibrates to that iron string."
When the flame of my spirit went out, a friend appeared.
He was a light on my path.
the iron string is gold plated
SOMETHING AGAINST YOU
ORIGIN OF COURAGE
In her gaze, every move I made was false. She taught me with steel.
And yet I remember her sweetness.
fire, flames, & sting
with her there are no masks
EXTRA SOUR
ORIGIN OF DOOM
Doom loops and downward spirals, his mind betrayed him.
The weeds consumed the garden.
doom cycles of down bad choices
CALAVERA
ORIGIN OF RITUAL
There are many streams & teachers, each with its history and lineage.
All true paths lead to the same awakening.
from the mysteries of skull & senses
BURNED
ORIGIN OF ANGER
those sparks of divinity in righteous anger
let them remind you of who you are
the blameless & rebalancing fire
PATHFINDER
ORIGIN OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE
To find your way, you must have a "compass" for the invisible terrain.
Each of us has this inner compass, but we doubt it.
We try to outsmart it; we fail. We come back to it and learn to trust it.
The compass isn't arbitrary.
the connective tissue of the world
WHISPERS
ORIGIN OF DOUBT
The mind is not a quiet place. Its original wholeness splinters.
Then come the noise & the vermin. They tear the soul with chattering teeth, sowing seeds of doubt.
urges self-destruction
FIRE SAINT
ORIGIN OF WARMTH
In the past, people saw spirits in nature; everything was alive with beings.
These days, we see the world as a machine. In time, however, the spirits will reappear.
He walks among them now.
a guide on the endless path
THE ONE
ORIGIN OF LIFE
Nature is a study in imagination.
With the intellect, we can break her to pieces, label her parts — but her fullness escapes us. The imagination sees wholes.
She awaits our recognition.
her music, a hymn to the night
NO TEMPLE
ORIGIN OF TRANSFORMATION
The goal is metamorphosis. There are many methods, but this is the essence.
An energy is activated from within.
You never go further than when you no longer know where you're going.
RISER
ORIGIN OF ETERNITY
When the time comes, you simply walk through a door.
Another journey begins.
life a contraction
death an expansion
MERCURY
ORIGIN OF ABILITY
freight train, gentle rain
both unstoppable
BUG LORD
ORIGIN OF MISERY
From egg to larva; from larva to human form.
To them, other people are prey. They consume all and give nothing.
The ancients called them “locusts” & warned that they would come in swarms.
Providing industry with an endless supply of mindless workers
KNUCKLEDOWN
ORIGIN OF DISCIPLINE
Just a poor kid, they said — but the wild spark found its flame.
Rhythm becoming strength; weakness becoming power.
the whole light of the mind
focused on the work
edition of 69
FLUFFY
ORIGIN OF PARADOX
The heart which abandons itself to the Supreme Mind finds itself related to all its works
knows the inner battles are the most important
DARK CANDY
ORIGIN OF DESIRE
The pure, raw instinct.
We go through it like a tunnel, and when at last we give it a proper place, its turmoil is a gift.
the knife edge of temptation
cutting deep
SHIVERS
ORIGIN OF FEAR
a voice from a dark place
you know it from its movement
it slithers
servant of the enemy
PANDEMONIUM
ORIGIN OF DESTRUCTION
Negative forces can be cultivated, shaped — given direction.
Beware those who become conduits to the abyss.
the dark magic of burning souls
VIPE
ORIGIN OF POISON
There is a barrier between our mind & the world, but it is constructed of lies. These lies lull us to sleep. They are expertly crafted; they seem impenetrable.
We don't know we’re bitten until we wake up gasping.
it's the lies
BLACK HOLE
ORIGIN OF DYSFUNCTION
unable to breathe
unable to leave
an abyss behind her eyes
the crushing suction of a festering wound
MEAN GIRL
ORIGIN OF PAIN
She was cut to pieces and, instead of healing, turned the pain inside out.
It smothered everything; she became a living hell.
black flames in her eyes
THE SOURCE
ORIGIN OF TRUE SELF
In the heart of my heart, I hear her.
When the air is full of roses, she is near.
a fresh wind blows within
SHINEFACE
ORIGIN OF FREEDOM
Continuously born from where love is the only motive.
The light comes through him.
keeps bringing joy
HERB GATHERER
ORIGIN OF HEALING
There are those who, while unknown to history, understand the secrets of nature.
The medicines they make heal the body, mind, and soul.
the highest knowledge knows nothing
SPRINGTIME
ORIGIN OF REBIRTH
She's friends with life's cruel winters
She knows what you've endured
new life at every moment
GOLD MAGE
ORIGIN OF WISDOM
In that field walks an ancient man who knows the weather a year in advance, and whose words make flowers bloom.
His presence is a blessing for the earth.
in his presence was an infinitely expanding field
BODY OF LIGHT
ORIGIN OF SPIRIT
The Resurrection was not the reanimation of a corpse, but the first appearance of a new archetype.
Those who witnessed it saw a glimpse of a future condition of humanity.
Plan accordingly.
fruit of many lifetimes
SORCERER
ORIGIN OF EVIL
Some push in the opposing direction, worshiping power alone.
Bending reality to their will, they choose oblivion.
It is enough to know they exist.
know thine enemy
SEEKER
ORIGIN OF SIGHT
Gifted but broken, she sought healing, and her path took a new turn.
Reforged, her eyes opened.
the center of things
sees the invisible cloth
that connects us all
