STP is the Razors Edge
(From my Book: Art & Synchronicity as Daytime Dreams)

This painting, through its layered symbols, serves as a vivid reminder of the divine threads woven into my life. As a Hotrum, I once believed I’d orchestrated every twist—manipulating outcomes to bend fate my way—but in truth, it was the Holy Spirit’s gentle ascent, guiding all. Even as I credit that sacred influence, the water tower stands as a testament to divine providence at 99.9%, processing events beyond my grasp. Yet outcomes flourished, especially after the profound losses of 2005; I took steps, yes, and moved with purpose—that mattered—but the path was ordained by God, crystal clear in the turbulent span between losing my job at the big bank and the carotid artery dissection’s harrowing aftermath.
 
This essence pulses in the STP logo, where an oil additive transforms premium motor oil into something visceral, granting the racer that razor-thin edge—a mere 1% shift spelling victory over second place. The $50 bill, waving like a starter’s flag, urges a fresh mindset: think anew, ease the grip on life, fulfill your known duties, then release—let the Holy Spirit weave the rest. At the bottom left, “Lift Off” echoes as eternal assurance: even when chaos looms, the Spirit mends with grace. Borrowed from that iconic National Geographic’s photo of John Glenn in his capsule—astronaut-suited, orbiting Earth amid capsule failure—it’s a nod to providence alone returning him safely home.
 
I chose “The Razor’s Edge” over “The Racer’s Edge” as homage to W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel—a profound tale of Larry Darrell, a young American aviator shattered by World War I traumas, particularly witnessing a comrade’s death, which ignites his quest to unravel life’s meaning, the nature of evil, and human purpose. Rejecting societal trappings like materialism, marriage (postponing his engagement to Isabel Bradley), and a promising career, Larry embarks on a spiritual odyssey: two bohemian years in Paris steeped in reading and philosophy, followed by wanderings across Europe and into India’s mystical heart, where coal mine labors and encounters with a holy man forge his sense of unity and fulfillment. Ultimately, Larry returns to America transformed, embracing simplicity amid others’ material downfalls, underscoring the novel’s themes of spirituality triumphing over worldly success. In this tale of a man’s odyssey—wandering realms like a red king, returning enlightened—Maugham’s hero pens his journey of rebirth, much as I do here, chronicling my own.