Two Paths, One Journey
[-Back to Seeking Spirituality-]

Kyriacos Markides, left, and Michael H. Lewis.

More than 25 years ago, artist Michael H. Lewis and sociologist Kyriacos Markides each began research on the same subject — spirituality. Lewis used the Maine landscape as a starting point for his turpentine wash paintings, suggesting a mysterious and timeless inner reality. Markides encountered monks, hermits, healers and spiritual elders, and wrote about their teachings and mystical experiences. In the 1980s, Markides sought out Lewis' paintings as cover art for the first of his six books and Lewis started providing feedback on Markides' manuscripts.

They became fast friends, inspiring and encouraging each other, and sharing ideas while walking the wooded paths on the University of Maine campus. The two UMaine faculty members continue their independent research, each seeking the transcendental moments that are all around us. The enigmatic subject of spirituality is made accessible through Markides' narratives and Lewis' landscapes. They take a global, nondenominational approach to exploring inner enlightenment. Both researchers ask us to suspend disbelief so that we may be sensitized to the possibility of transcendent realities. The books and paintings invite participation and encourage us to draw our own conclusions.