Pisces: Year of the Rat
Under a nighttime sky, Ken Goldman paints a merry party of Rats. They’ve gathered atop a Swiss cheese for a starlight snack (and judging from how sleek and plump they look, good things to eat are a daily event). Rats are a thrifty clan and indeed this group looks prosperous; Chinese astrologers say the Rat always tucks something away for a rainy day, saves and invests well, and somehow always comes out on top. Rats are sociable, love to congregate, work well with others and are in general amiable and friendly.
Charming too. Goldman’s painting displays much gentle appeal. His family of Rats look orderly and tidy at their sit-down supper; one supposes lively chatter must accompany the meal — good manners dictate careful seating and pleasant shared space. As ornament, the Rats have invited two goldfish to dinner. Pisces, their second watery nature, is presented both in form and symbolically in the constellation above the bowl.
Two Rats stand out from the crowd, both grasping the mystic sign of Pisces. One holds it to himself (symbolic of Rat acquisitiveness), while another presents it outward, sharing the gift. He reaches upward to make contact with his Pisces self, symbolized by the nearby goldfish and the constellation of Pisces, rising in the nighttime sky, symbolizing the cosmic part of his soul. It is the light from this unselfish gesture that softly illuminates the group.
In composition, Goldman brilliantly shows us the Rat-Pisces nature.Three circles define the fish: the watery planet Neptune that guides Pisces, the sphere of light that emanates from the sign of Pisces, and the goldfish bowl that holds the water and life of Pisces. Three smooth forms in direct contrast to the busy congenial nature of the Rat family, yet they cleverly work together; Rat grounds and supports, Pisces rests on and reaches toward higher goals. This is a well-grounded yet spiritual team, the team of Rat-Pisces.
Pisces: Year of the Tiger
The sky and sea merge in Thierry Chatelain’s depiction of Tiger-Pisces. Neptune, the ruling planet of Pisces is set as the top point of interest. It looks watery, an orb of swirling liquid in a sky that is decidedly undifferentiated from the sea. In this watery world Chatelain paints a glorious Tiger, and what a specimen! His tongue reaches out for a drink and a sleepy languor pervades his topaz eyes. This is clearly a Tiger at rest, but definitely still watchful. There is always a strategy that goes on in the Tiger’s mind. Of all the Chinese zodiac signs, the Tiger has the most passion and strength, which can be disguised at will and explode outward without warning and just as quickly return to a state of almost invisible stillness.
If we can’t estimate the Tiger’s state of mind, neither can we estimate the direction of Pisces. Chatelain shows four beautifully painted Koi swimming in all directions intent on different goals and ambitions. Pisces has been labeled as indecisive and too free-flowing, and certainly the artist paints his fish as scattered jewels in the water.
But Chatelain gives us a hint at what Tiger-Pisces may achieve when these two forces of power and mutability come together. Pisces has the greatest understanding of human nature for they are the last sign in the Western zodiac and have accumulated the wisdom of the other eleven. Their changeability is never as formless as it seems; Pisces just knows more that the rest of us. The Tiger is the Eastern zodiac’s great humanitarian. It was these great cats that came to the defense of human beings when the animal kingdom rose against them.
The artist carefully paints four lotus blossoms rising up as if from the Tiger’s aura. The lotus is the Eastern world’s great symbol of enlightenment and its presence bodes well. This combination has the chance for great achievements; to some, perhaps, this is the greatest of the combined zodiac signs. The potential for good and luck is unlimited in Tiger-Pisces.
Pisces: Year of the Rabbit
In the mysterious depths of an imaginary sea, artist Andre Rushing presents us with a remarkable view of the liquid personality of Rabbit-Pisces. Pisces the water sign, intuitive loner and ruler of the 12th and final house of the Western zodiac, is joined by the shy and sentimental Rabbit. These are quiet people unless they get pushed. Intelligent? Could be, but you have to search deep to find out. Both signs are sensitive to the world around them and can be devoted and sentimental about others.
The artist has placed them in a dark, quite fluid, world pierced by a shaft of glorious light. The enigmatic human is a beautiful mirage looking directly at the viewer with a mysterious smile on her face. Can you fathom the conundrum of those she represents? The shy Pisces conceal themselves within her fiery locks, representing the ever-present fervor that hides deeply within this sign. Rabbit is not hiding at all, it is out for a romp. Free-spirited and lively, it is a Rabbit out of its hole, having fun like all Rabbits love to do. With a surprised look it peers out at the viewer, caught but not worried by the knowledge we gain by its exposure. These are two signs which hide well their abilities and generosities. Imaginative and benevolent they will appear to be just a vague shadow in a deep sea to those who do not take the time or effort to get to truly know them. Just as the shaft of light gives us a brief opportunity to join their beautiful cosmos, it can disappear in a flash.
Those patient enough and lucky enough to participate in the world of Rabbit-Pisces will enjoy the gift of an honest and generous friend. For those who don’t try — who cares? Rabbit-Pisces surely doesn’t.
Pisces: Year of the Dragon
Thierry Chatelain presents a beautiful Dragon, standing alone in peaceful meditation on a lonely outcrop of rock surrounded by a slightly disturbed sea. Her right hand holds the earth in a tender grip, the claws gentle and loving. The planet Neptune halos her head as two lively fish play in the water at her feet.
Dragons are exhibitionists; known for their great energy, natural charisma and self-confidence, they are tough-skinned and at times have an over-assertive nature. They love to be in a crowd, and they are always at the center. Pisces, on the other hand, prefer to be alone. They are spiritual, psychic, and intuitive, usually with a gift for prophecy. Capable of high intellect while being dreamy, romantic and creative, they are warmhearted, caring and sensitive. By juxtaposing the two signs, Chatelain transforms his subjects into their true combined states. The Dragon, while still quite the center of attention, wraps beautiful wings around her glorious body, hiding the grandness of her person, so that she may meditate in peace and tranquility. The gentleness of her grip on the earth — a Pisces element that gives her new stability — shows that she truly understands its value and the love and sensitivity it brings her. The two exuberant flying fish, representing Pisces, are capriciously showing off their Dragon qualities. They become the exhibitionists. Not content to swim slowly, hiding beneath the ocean, they unfurl their wings and leap from the sea, reveling in their newfound energy and self-confidence. But they are still Pisces, the fish, and their intellect is not hidden by their ebullient freedom. Remaining unselfish and generous, they do not taunt the meditating Dragon, but instead allow it to rest in peace, knowing that one should always be careful not to wake a sleeping Dragon.
Painted in sharp pure color in a symbolist style, artist Thierry Chatelain has captured the representational portrait of a Dragon-Pisces.
Pisces: Year of the Snake
Neptune, the watery planet which rules Pisces, is the source of the portrait of Snake-Pisces by Thierry Chatelain. As it rises at the top of his painting, an exquisite Snake uncoils with scales of black and smoldering orange, the color of the embers of a fire. Fire is the element of the Snake and its warmth enlivens Chatelain’s serpent with a glowing and intense vitality. Two bright orange fish swim like visual parenthesis around the Snake. We are clearly in the element of water; a trio of Pisces’ beautiful water lilies float above their pads suggesting a world of order and serenity, and Pisces’ cool aquamarine, lilac, and sea blue colors provide the background. The artist creates a perfect composition tailored to pull us into the aquatic world which is the habitat of Snake-Pisces.
Yet, Chatelain paints a surprise. In center foreground we see what looks to be a vortex swirling downward and into some void. The painting begins with Neptune and ends — where? That we do not know. The sense we have is that Snake, fish, and perhaps this watery world will disappear. It is a brilliant maneuver, and we can not foresee what fate awaits Snake-Pisces. This is a combined zodiac sign of great sensitivity. Deep emotions and feelings rule. A sense of mystery and calm surround them, and these subjects are capable of great subtlety and spiritual insights. Pisces is the sign of eternity, of reincarnation and of spiritual rebirth. Pisces are loyal, unselfish and unwavering in their devotion to others. The challenge is really with the Snake side of the sign. For all its deep intuition, the serpent is prone to cynicism, and its profound worldliness is a challenge to positive thinking.
It is a great connectedness to life that is the gift of Snake-Pisces. But the vortex is in many ways a metaphor for this combined zodiac sign. Chatelain knows this, so paints a warning for Snake-Pisces — continue on the best path or be pulled downward.
Pisces: Year of the Ram
Artist John Abel portrays an archaic fragment, an iron age vision of hybrid life in past seas. The ancients held firm beliefs in mythical life, especially that ruled in the oceans by Pisces’ planet Neptune. These combinations of Eastern Ram and Western Pisces are adrift in what could be an ancient mosaic of Pompeii or Ravenna, their clear colors the brilliant ones of bright Mediterranean tiles. Abel shows us strong images beautifully constructed in a linear diagonal: the fish swim in alignment with shafts of seaweed as their frame. But Abel’s colors also change in a more mutable fashion; the green melds into a strong horizontal line of rich blue.
Abel’s fish are solid; their horns do not look especially out of place. Unexpected, but certainly within the realm of our imagination. The sea is dark, sapphire, moving up to clear green and finally yellow green as it approaches the sun. The light penetrates the water, capturing these strange fish in a timeless moment. They certainly have the quality of legend, the kind of sea life fishermen have reported for thousands of years. They are dream-like and strangely magnificent in a secret and allegorical way.
Significantly Abel paints a pair. If ever there was a combined zodiac sign who needs a mate, it is Ram-Pisces. That exterior armor is for protection. Pisces is born of the water, is fluid, perhaps passive. The Ram is gentle, born a natural wanderer, a little bit hesitant and sometimes dependent. Perfect marriage material for each other, together they become strong, and these two creatures capture our imagination by their very boldness, even as they maintain the mutability of water and life. This is an altogether brilliant example of the Ram-Pisces — an intriguing and unusual personality riding dramatic seas.
Pisces: Year of the Monkey
John Abel’s elemental portrait of Monkey-Pisces shows a monkey hitching a ride with a friend, Pisces. This is a not unlikely occurrence, because fun-loving trickster, Monkey is not only charming enough to convince his friend to give a free ride, but clever and manipulative enough to covertly persuade if necessary. Monkey has even been known to tell a fib or two in order to get what he or she wants, but we never seem to mind, because these bewitching creatures are so amusing.
Of course, it may be that Pisces also has a trick or two up his sleeve. Pisces is a water sign, noteworthy for a free-flowing approach to life. Combine Monkey and Pisces and you can get a very cunning pair. But once again no one is bothered; getting tricked by Monkey-Pisces is so much fun that we always come back for more. It is not that Monkey-Pisces is truly bad, just a bit naughty. This is a sweet-natured, big-hearted person, and nobody really gets hurt…just taken for an exhilarating ride.
Abel’s portrait has that same good-natured sense of fun, The Monkey looks content; with a tender grip on his friend, Pisces, their trip looks as effortless as a sailboat outing. White is Monkey’s color for good fortune when linked with a white bird as painted in the sky. A large, magnificent planet looms nearby, probably Neptune, the water planet which rules Pisces. Pisces may in fact be the dominating sign of the two. Abel subtly suggests it is so. The major colors, turquoise, green, lilac, he uses are the favorites of Pisces. It is the sign of the fish, the last of the Western zodiac, which is the most spiritually advanced. Emotional healing, transformation, regeneration are all within Pisces’ purview. Can the wily and free-floating Monkey work toward growth and development with true purpose? That sailing white bird gives hope. Because there is no stronger sense of humanity and spirituality than that which exists in Pisces-Monkey. This is a person who has the potential to unequivocally enjoy life and, at the same time, rise above all that is temporary and mundane.
Pisces: Year of the Rooster
If you take the terms psychic, intuitive, prophetic and add creative and intensely imaginative, you find just some of the words describing Pisces, the twelfth House of the Western zodiac. The tendency of a Pisces is to work alone; they are capable of high intellectual achievement with a magnetic, mysterious personality. Sensitive, they are usually introverted, seeming constantly afloat inside their inventive mind. This is the Pisces portrayed in artist Thierry Chatelain’s painting of Rooster-Pisces.
If you take the descriptions flamboyant, well-dressed and groomed, always in the spotlight, you visit the world of those individuals born in the year of the Rooster. Center of attention? You bet. In this painting, Chatelain definitely portrays a Rooster individual.
Now, combine the pair. You think this bird is precariously standing on a lofty perch, and should take care? No, just look at the determined glint in this fellow’s eye. Don’t be fooled by those flashy feathers, arrogant stature and lofty attitude — this is a self-assured and courageous individual. Are the fish floating aimlessly with not a thought, maybe wondering what they are doing up here with this glorious bird? No, you have it all wrong! These are Rooster-fish who have no fear of flying, and are enjoying the strength and extroverted nature the Rooster personality brings to Pisces. They are completely free to enjoy their creative and intellectual pursuits, and willing to step into a well-earned spotlight, accepting their just rewards. Being warmhearted and caring, they now have the ability to give back to others their inventive gifts because of the brave, compassionate and strongly independent spirit supplied by the Rooster.
This is a very different and inventive painting, and it represents well the true nature of this delightful dual sign. The flamboyant turns inward while the intuitive turns outward, and the benefit to others is the ingenious creations that result from this strong and powerfully talented individual, the Rooster-Pisces.
Pisces: Year of the Dog
An amusing and charming portrait of Dog-Pisces is contributed by the artist Analise Rigan. Dog, a handsome red setter, looks perfectly content enclosed in a bubble; in fact his tail is in the middle of a wag. Inquisitively, he glances over one shoulder — perhaps he is the leader of the pack and he’s looking back for his friends. Then again, he could just be enjoying the procession of colorful fish swimming among the spheres. Whichever it is, with that expressively intelligent profile, we can tell this is an eminently sensible animal. Soft of muzzle with lustrous and feathery fur, this is an exceptionally fine-looking Dog. But then, so are the fish that cruise with him. They are quite large, spaniel-sized and gleaming, with eyes and scales in exquisitely and iridescent colors. Their tails are graceful as they encircle the Dog’s bubble with careful nurturance, just as they would their own offspring. There is a cool, gleaming quality to Rigan’s rich underwater dream as Dog and Pisces move through the water, element of Pisces.
Dog-Pisces is a most interesting combination; Dog is born to worry, Pisces to perceive and evolve. But there may be an underlying fragility here. Rigan’s bubbles could burst bringing this dream to an end. Yet this is sometimes naive zodiac combination somehow works, even though a bit easy to take advantage of. For all the tender qualities the subjects of this East-West sign display, they are really quite formidable. Due to Dog’s persistence this person can tough it out. Because of Pisces’ wisdom this person can learn to trust.
This is how the merging of East and West works. Each sign teaches and moderates the other. Without Pisces to guide him, Rigan’s dog would not have so peacefully submerged. Without Dog’s determination the fish might swim away, leaving the setter to drift alone. Here we see the magic of the fused world and personality that has Rigan created for Dog-Pisces.
Pisces: Year of the Pig
Pig-Pisces is the twelfth and last sign of the combined zodiacs. Pisces is considered to be the most evolved of the Western signs, the one into which all the currents of the zodiac flow. The Chinese say Pig is a mass of contradictions. The melding of these signs produces a personality both transparent and deeply complicated.
The Pig is the most refined of the moon signs, having an intrinsic understanding of beauty, art and refinements, even though bred from a wild beast. Beneath the civilized veneer are still strong emotions. Pisces has a rich knowledge of the soul and human experience, but a personality easily distracted by too much information. Both are water signs, flowing without boundary. Together Pig and Pisces have volatile and combustible potentials. Even so, this rich mix works, albeit with a certain extravagant abundance. In a seeming contradiction of their traits, John D. Abel has painted Pig-Pisces with a canny simplicity in a limited color palette — violet, blue, silver, brown — and bold brush strokes. Water, earth and sky, the elements of our world, define and contain this painting in which other symbols are represented. This Pig is powerful and fully grown; it emerges from the water, element of both Pig and Pisces, clearly in search of earthly experience. Although the fish jumps from the water, Pisces symbolically, touches its ruling planet Neptune. Whatever movement this combined sign makes, it will never be far from the mutable and fluid nature of its personality. What kind of human being can we expect? Though Pig-Pisces adores luxuries and often run the risk of self-indulgence, they work hard and creatively in a variety of arenas. They are people deeply connected to life and to others.
Curiously, just as Abel has portrayed, Pig-Pisces is somehow rather basic, even with complex inconsistencies and a sometime lack of emotional boundaries. Learn to enjoy that simplicity and appreciate the depths of Pig-Pisces and you will find a person to be treasured.

















