In 2022 Artist Adri VII (O.M.S), after reading an article about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, caught hold of an interesting photo of the “Messenger” and an inspiration to paint a portrait of him. She explained, “Of course, I’d heard of him, but didn’t know much about him nor the Nation of Islam. But I learned why he was so controversial. But the real kicker for me was reading about how he spoke on a spaceship called the Mother of Planes and connected it with UFO’s… that got me because the U.F.O topic always begged my curiosity; can’t say I believe in them, but it’s interesting. So I did a few pencil sketches of him before going to canvas, and I captured the mysterious “Messenger,” I like to think. But then in September of last year, I got an idea to put the ‘Baby Planes’ he taught about over his head and make them mysterious too, you know barely visible, but visible. It just added to the mystique of the work. But now, strangely, we’ve got ‘drones’ flying around all over the world. Go figure!

This surrealist canvas painting combines realistic and fantastic elements of nature and the divine connection between the natural and animal realms. Here an eye-winking barn owl as a barrel cactus poached in a flower pot, with a full moon starry night backdrop, placed in the desert. What do they have in common? Both the owl and cactus survive the hot climate of the unforgiving desert. Both are nocturnal, so as the owl hunts and hoots, the cactus waters and blooms. Both retire during the day to preserve their energy from the scorching heat. This commonality is deeply expressed here. The supernatural mystery of when an owl winks at you, if you’re lucky, means they find you amusing or interesting. So, here’s your very own owl winking at you. Another interpretation is that the owl is communicating with you telepathically. So, winking at you means they’re opening a telepathic link between the two of you. This art captures the multi-dimensional spirit and prickly secrets of the desert. Everyone who displays this piece will have their own unique personal experience with this cryptic energy.