In the past few years I have focused on my painting as a place of Zen practice, a way of exploring and presenting a koan. This might sound a little esoteric, but actually it's as simple as exploring how to be a fully present human being.
My latest exhibition (Freeform at Kereru Gallery) touches on the calligraphic practice of mark-making. I lay down a line with all of me present. Artist Bill Gingles puts it another way: "I aim to get myself out of the way of the painting". Same thing. All of me present and out of the way!
This way of painting is something so different from my previous narrative style, wherein I tried to 'tell' the audience something. Now I leave the interpretation of my work to the audience and hope that at some level the painting can simply be an experience rather than an explanation. I leave the audience to respond to the painting in non-intellectual ways, that perhaps tap into feelings and states of being rather than developing particular ideas or issues. However, there are times when I yearn to get back to more issue-based work.
I deeply admire art that takes on an issue, explores it and expresses a view about it, or even better, encourages the viewer to investigate the issue themselves and find their own response or action. For some people this is not real art, but to me the definition of real art is in the process not the product. And if the process of exploring an issue is done creatively, poetically, openly and with a deep awareness, then that's good enough for me!
So I have completed preparations for the Kereru exhibition and also the Oxford Arts Centre show, and am having a short break while I explore how to combine the above two approaches to art making.
Where to Next is where I find myself... And What is Enough????
My latest exhibition (Freeform at Kereru Gallery) touches on the calligraphic practice of mark-making. I lay down a line with all of me present. Artist Bill Gingles puts it another way: "I aim to get myself out of the way of the painting". Same thing. All of me present and out of the way!
This way of painting is something so different from my previous narrative style, wherein I tried to 'tell' the audience something. Now I leave the interpretation of my work to the audience and hope that at some level the painting can simply be an experience rather than an explanation. I leave the audience to respond to the painting in non-intellectual ways, that perhaps tap into feelings and states of being rather than developing particular ideas or issues. However, there are times when I yearn to get back to more issue-based work.
I deeply admire art that takes on an issue, explores it and expresses a view about it, or even better, encourages the viewer to investigate the issue themselves and find their own response or action. For some people this is not real art, but to me the definition of real art is in the process not the product. And if the process of exploring an issue is done creatively, poetically, openly and with a deep awareness, then that's good enough for me!
So I have completed preparations for the Kereru exhibition and also the Oxford Arts Centre show, and am having a short break while I explore how to combine the above two approaches to art making.
Where to Next is where I find myself... And What is Enough????
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