A reference to the first generation
of G.I. Joe action figures who all had "H" on their belts.
Hades is the Greek god of death and
lord of the underworld. He is brother of Zeus and Poseidon and assumed his
role when they drew lots. In my art, the story of Hades and Persephone has
been explored in some detail. This was started when I was working at
Gallery 37 under the guidance of Julian Cox and Nyame Bxxxxn. It was also
the summer I met Alicja Txxxxa who inspired Persephone. Hades is portrayed
as a victim of love and a softhearted sentimental while the rest of the
gods are callous and insensitive. His only companions are the deviant
Cerebus and the cryptic Charon. As Hades exists in another universe apart
from the main continuum he usually appears in drawings in a book or on the
label of a bottle. The Emperor's Son is constantly reading the Story of
Hades & Persephone as he hopes that sometime it will have a happy
ending.
Hands being cut off or more
commonly, having been cut off and resewn on, is a symbol of sacrifice and
victory over hardship. This was a feature of all High Priestesses.
Tom Mxxxxi and I have been friends
since high school and he has a renowned skill with people. He so outgoing
and friendly that he was the inspiration for the character Hate as an
ironic joke. Hate, as a character, is a bon vivant who leads people down
destructive paths. He has battled Morality and Love frequently. He along
with Morality and Logic were captured by love for a time so they would not
interfere with the Devil's plot to place the Blue Heart in the Emperor.
Hate's helmet closely resembles the old style armor that I used to draw
with its skull motif and statue of liberty spikes. The mouth on the helmet
is sewn shut in a manner inspired by Nikki Pill. When Hate is wearing his
helmet it is a sign of a focused callous mode and when he is without his
helmet he is in his normal likeable corrupter mode.
Hector, Paris & Achilles are my three cats. They appear in drawings regularly. They are usually shown with halos and around the copy of the book the Iliad from which their names were derived. Achilles is a more recent addition to the family so there are several drawings where Hector & Paris appear without her. Hector & Paris are also often shown with the words "The Lost Years" which refers to the four or five mysterious years that they lived before meeting me.
Heir appears on the Emperor's Son's belt buckle and is a reference to his eventual succession of his father's throne.
Helios is the Greek god of the sun
and plays a minor role in my story of Hades and Persephone. He is shown as
a man made of yellow fire.
Helmets referred to the more
martial themes expressed in the older drawings and were a common part of
the old style armor. They usually had a skull motif and sometimes had
horns, plumes or spikes for ornamentation. As I became more interested in
interpersonal relationships not involving killing the use of helmets was
phased out. When the do appear it is usually as a symbol for someone's
transformation towards callousness (putting on the helmet) or opening
themselves emotionally (taking off the helmet). The only notable use of a
helmet currently is with the allegorical character of Hate.
Hera is the Greek queen of the gods
and wife of Zeus. She played an important role in my "Story That
Should Never Be Told" and was based on Megan Cajka. As The Story That
Should Never Be Told has not been told, Hera's appearance is very rare.
The Hermit was a character devised
during the creation of my Tarot Deck. Inspired by Geoff Sxxxxy, the
Hermit is very wise and removed from the daily humanistic needs of the
rest of the world. Though aloof, the Hermit's own humanity is very real
and he struggles with his self-imposed isolation.
The original High Priestess was
based on Jessica Sxxxxs and was developed while I was making my Tarot
deck. The High Priestess was both the object of the Emperor's desire and
his protector. She was very arcane and had pentagrams on her hands,
as a sign of her past sacrifices and struggles, she had her hands cut off
and sewn back on and as a sign of her protective yet menacing nature - she
carried a knife. The knife was based on one my grandfather got in the
Philippines during the 1940s. The High Priestess eventually came to be the
keeper of the Emperor's Heart (the Red Heart). The Emperor turned on her
though and forced her to return it in an uncharacteristic act of
aggression. When my friendship with Jessica faded away, the High Priestess
was killed by Death and buried by Logic. Another later assumed her mantel.
The second High Priestess was
developed as my friendship with Anjey Dxxxxo developed. The character was
initially designed as an allegorical embodiment of Romance but I wanted to
expand her role in the art so I made the character human. As the mantle of
High Priestess had been recently vacated and that role had become one of
protecting the Emperor - it was logical that the Anjey-based character
assume it. The new High Priestess followed alongside the Emperor for many
situations. Recently she was pulled into a lengthy combat with Apathy who
was charged with distracting her while the Devil executed her plan with
the Blue Heart. The High Priestess was victorious over Apathy but was too
late to stop the Devil. Doppelganger had taken the place of the Emperor.
The High Priestess was the only one to suspect that something was amiss
when the Emperor was suddenly filled with song and mirth. Observing this
suspicion, the Smoking Guy commanded Death to kill her. This happened at
the same time as mine and Anjey's friendship ended
The third High Priestess has been created recently as my friendship with Colleen Fxxxxd has blossomed. This High Priestess was crafted out of clay by Life in order to protect the Emperor, which has been lacking since the end of the second High Priestess. The High Priestess has recovered the Red Heart from Passion and returned it to the Emperor. She is often shown holding a doll representing the Traitor, which reflects her own romantic challenges and ultimate triumph.
Hooks and Chains are a symbol of a
desperate attempt to hold on to something. In my art they have been used
to violently hold people together or to pull a heart out of a chest.
One of the Seven Holy Virtues, the character depicting Hope is based on Jessica Cxxk.
Horns have two meanings. One, which
is by far more common, is as a sign of evil as in the case of the Devil or
Dabbel. The second use of horns is to be a sign of a man being a cuckold
as was a common symbolic device in early modern Europe.