Tree Farm

I have a particular memory from childhood of being on a tree farm at night. Because the trees were small (pine trees for Christmas I assume) the sky seemed big. I remember my father being there. We were separated from cars, houses, and other people. Most of my life I wanted to recapture this sublime feeling of harmony,  fresh air, and beautiful sights. While my memory of this experience feels palpable, I am uncertain what was real and what I am imagining to be true.

To duplicate this scene with all of the complex emotions involved is not possible. However, I can inch toward it through art and an openness to new experiences. Through artistic practice, a window can open to more to deeper feelings. To create with less willful intent allows magic to happen in its own unfolding way. With the tree farm fresh in mind, I decided to make a pine tree of my own. Differing from trick or illusion, true magic provides an evocative spark that could arrive even with a solitary tree.

Untitled, Vector Drawing, 2016

After A Time in Poland

Before my trip to Poland I was preparing to make a print.

Merriam Webster states, Romanticism is " a style of art, literature, etc., during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emphasized the imagination and emotions".

At the beginning of the year I posed three questions for myself. Two questions were answered previously. I am going to re-caste the last question and attempt to answer it.

Question Three: In relationship to imagination, what role does a personal and emotional place represent? Does a lack of interest in this realm mean that personal visions, while flavorful, are limited exercises without broader relevance?

Perhaps I am wrong, but I feel as if the deep kind of imagination that leads to unfathomable vistas, to creatures yet formed, and worlds that are hidden behind stones has somehow been lost. I am under the impression that there is a more stark focus on issues both formal and political (some examples). While I do not want to dismiss imaginative avenues within these subjects and I am generalizing, it seems that art in the vanguard of critical attention has moved from a palpable imaginative place to a more didactic message driven realm.

What surprised me most is that a trip to Poland revealed to me a critical case (if not a necessity) for imagination in current life and art. Between two trips, I read two books about Poland, The Heart of Europe by Norman Davies and the novel Poland by James Michener. The former confirmed the history of the latter. I learned how a nation maintains its nationhood when it has been taken. Poland was divided by other nations and there was a systematic attempt to replace its culture. Two philosophical perspectives help maintain the Polish identity (Positivism and Romanticism). Polish Romanticism was different then elsewhere in Europe because it had practical implications. It was part of a covert program to endure and outlive the occupying powers.

While I had read Plato's Republic, this is the first time found philosophies that reached deep into the individual and define and preserve the self. In many ways Positivism and Romanticism were two sides of the same coin (the practical and the fantastic). Granted we need both but the latter often gets maligned as folly or false hope. However, without hope we have no future at all. Even those who have to be focused on practical concerns need a sense of hope. In order to get to this exalted place, we need to investigate the self and the ongoing change that can be both regenerative and caustic.

Imagination may involve brainstorming and many seemingly random acts. However, sprawling actions and ideas can become noise that leaves one with little place to focus. I encourage my fellow voyagers to think deeply about connections. Where does the wandering lead? Do any of the connections made in the wild world of process and symbols provide the following?

1. Escape routes from oppressions
2. Resolve the questions too big for words
3. Usurp soulless perspectives

While the notion of romanticism in our day may be pushed to a corner or trampled on, it is not merely fantasy or whim. At its deepest root, romanticism provides a vision of the life we aspire to and provides tangible evidence of a world beyond earthly bounds. We all long to swim in this collected water because it shows signs of our humanity.

Progress made while staying in Poland.

Side By Side

Midsummer Night's Dream: In progress and further along.

At the beginning of the year I asked three questions. This post attempts to address two of these questions (see below).

1. The absence of an explicitly planned outcome means that an unconscious element is at play. Yet, how deep is this connection to the unknown and what is its relation to a wider collective unconscious?

2. While mysteries are uncovered, are they substantial? Do they extend beyond the small mysteries of how a picture comes together (i.e. in a way that is slightly different than the creator would expect)?

Over the past couple months, I worked on a drawing where my mind was both engaged in the artistic process and focused on these self prescribed questions. My growing understanding is that the answer to the questions above are felt and exist on a middle path. In eastern philosophy there is a way of dealing with paradox and seemingly intractable problems by finding what is called the "middle path". To accept a yes/no (i.e. boolean) answer to a multifaceted and speculative problem is not possible, yet there is a solution. The solution is not to seek more facile words. Rather, the answer is to look for a means to eclipse the contradiction. This is perhaps where art can be most relevant because its primary function is to display something that words alone can not full-fill (this would include poetry which uses words but grasps at a vision beyond one dimensional meanings).

What is felt, intuitive, and unconscious surrounds this path, because it deals with the unknown. While interpreting the realm of dreams has merits, it can also reveals the limitations of summary description.  We begin to see patterns of formulaic conclusions (e.g. the dream is about loss, fear, a hint at the future etc.).  If we only look at where the unconscious intersects with the conscious, it will remain shallow. However, where the dream is unpredictable and varied is in the texture of its details and its relationship to a wider context. Likewise, one can not merely look at the material surface of art to find its depth. Art has a middle path. Descriptive words alone are not expansive enough. The texture, form, and trace of action point to something timeless. Without the skills to realize a middle path one skips the ability to see alternatives, additionally there is little chance to know the smell of roses.

In a global way, what we gain from a perspective that has more than two sides and is not neatly summarized is a more genial and attentive society.

Coat of Arms, Protection For the New Year

As an exercise, I created a coat of arms that was meant to offer a symbolic protection as well as a reminder of key virtues. What began as primarily a written exercise that listed noble qualities became a visual interpretation in which the written part was minimized.

Title: Coat of Arms, Media: Water Color, Ink, & Acrylic Paint, Size: 16" x 12 1/4", Date: 2015

At the time I did not know the degree to which the unconscious played a roll in the making of this picture. What began as an image of mountains and towers became a type-rope act. The central tower or totem exhales smoke. The background was a puzzle. I wanted the shield to stand out, but the earthy colors around the edge that offer a contrast also relate to compost and decay (this perhaps a reminder of mortality). There was more anxiety in the picture and in my life than I wanted to admit. While the image is not devoid of charm because of more wide ranging elements, it did not give a clear sense of well being that I was searching for.

Title: Coat of Arms #2, Media: Water Color, Ink, & Collage, Size: 16" x 12 1/4", Date: 2016

After realizing an unsettling result, I wanted to try this exercise again. The rounded the edges of the new shield immediately hinted at a warmer result. While an eclectic mixture of subjects were subsequently added, I leaned on brighter colors and made certain the balance was in favor of a more optimistic forward looking protection. Beyond a kind of self therapy this process brought up questions I had:

1. The absence of an explicitly planned outcome means that an unconscious element is at play. Yet, how deep is this connection to the unknown and what is its relation to a wider collective unconscious?

2. While mysteries are uncovered, are they substantial? Do they extend beyond the small mysteries of how a picture comes together (i.e. in a way that is slightly different than the creator would expect)?

3. While not an empirical study (i.e. it is not objective/scientific study or an attempt to recreate a time and place), I see here a process that is related to romanticism. Focusing instead on issues both formal and political, It seems that art in the vanguard of critical attention has largely moved on from a palpable imaginative place. What role does a personal and emotional place represent? Does a lack of interest in this realm mean that while flavorful it is a limited exercise that gets repeated over and over?

Given my belief that a blog post should be a short read, I will not attempt to answer these questions at once. Like the case of making a second coat of arms, sometimes one has to ask questions and be allowed to come back after time for a more precise solutions. Also, This sets up questions and challenges for 2016 that are invigorating and worthy of time.