Quietest Moment Before the Dawn

Posted by Alpha Bruton August 15, 2021

Quietest Moment Before the Dawn

Statement about the artwork in the exhibition: "Inherit The Earth Art Exhibition 2021"

I started this series of spirit keepers in the early ’80s. Not in reproduction, but periodically I have been asked to collaborate with other installation artists, poets, of the written word, using these paintings of women to represent the four directions. When painting, I believe in the positive, life-affirming, and carry that flag of positive power while creating the work.

"Quietest Moment is Before Dawn, Acrylic on Paper, Bronzeville Artist Lofts Installation

Let's explore this thought, and why I placed the fetus in the womb and the ovary as a jewel.

A woman is typically born with around 1-2 million eggs in their ovaries. Unlike men who are always producing new sperm to replenish their sperm count, females stop making eggs. What’s even more unexpected is that females will have produced all the eggs they will ever make by 20-weeks of gestation (halfway through the pregnancy).

What is Spirit Keeping?

Spirit Keeping is the act of keeping spirits of once, living entities as friends & companions, typically bound to a vessel or yourself. People who do this are known as Spirit Keepers. In its most basic form of conjuring a spirit & conversing with it or giving it a task. It is meant to converse with spirits for a purpose, ask a question, ask them for help, and ask for guidance, usually for a temporary amount of time, not for an ongoing life choice.

All spirits come of their own, free will to choose to spend their time with a Spirit Keeper. Spirits provide insight into life that cannot otherwise be obtained. They can help you with countless things throughout your daily life & your paranormal path. This way, they know they cannot be tampered with, encroached upon, or otherwise impeded upon by anyone other than yourself.

"Spirit Keeper Lilith", Acrylic on Paper,

Why paint the Lilith myth? I do not believe she is a myth. I believe in the power of angles that they are all around us, Hebrew 1:6 “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Hebrew 13:1 “Love your fellow Christian always, do not neglect to show hospitality. It is said that this spirit can affect our homes as well as our churches. This spirit causes division and even attacks our children. This spirit is also associated with seduction. It moves like the wind swift.

I believe that the Sumerians were powerful people, and like all of the histories of mighty empires, they have been distorted depending on who is recording their history. First, Sumer was an ancient civilization founded in the Mesopotamia region of the Fertile Crescent situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their innovations in language, governance, architecture, and more, Sumerians are considered the creators of civilization as modern humans understand it. Second, their control of the region lasted for a short of 2,000 years before the Babylonians took charge in 2004 B.C.

What historians refer to, as Mesopotamia is the region of present-day Iraq.

"Spirit Keeper of the South", Acrylic on Paper, 10' x 4'

Installation at the Switching Station Artist Lofts, 2008

"Spirit of the Woo Doo", Acrylic on Paper, collector Donna and Ted Feaster

Let's explore the thought "How many eggs does a woman have"?

At birth, there are approximately 1 million to 2 million eggs; by the time of puberty, only about 300,000 remains. Of these, only about 500 will be ovulated during a woman's reproductive lifetime. Any remaining eggs gradually die out at menopause. What does this fact have to do with the narrative, it is the symbolism in my artwork and how each of us carries the DNA from mother to daughter, to daughter, and pass on these eggs while in our wombs at conception. We are keepers of the spirits of generations.