UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #69

“The Fractured Earth #5” 

(Watercolour on Handmade Paper) 

Size:  83x98cm

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING:

Last week’s blog featured a circle.  I have used the circle again in this painting “The Fractured Earth #5” which was inspired by the beauty of the coastal region on the Sunshine Coast (Australia) where I live.  I did this painting because of my concern that this beauty that we enjoy today, will not be here for the future generations.  It is hard to imagine this, when this morning I was walking along the beach where this photo (seen below) was taken.  The photo is of the volcanic rock formations that evolved through the natural cooling process and natural weathering over eons of time.  In parts of the coastal rock face I see petrified tree trunks and in other parts the spherical shapes caused by bubbling lava laid down during the Earth’s early history. 

The above photo shows live marine life (small shellfish) clustered in the cracks around this almost perfect circle formed by nature thousands of years ago.  My painting seeks to capture the time span that is imprinted in this costal environment – a time span that geological studies reveal are about 120,000 thousand years in the making. 

It is hard to believe on a beautiful day like today that our lovely environment is indeed fighting for survival.  But it seems that this is in fact, true.  The over fishing and the pollution of the oceans is pushing our lovely planet Earth to the brink of destruction according to the climate and environmental scientists.  When one sees the mega trawlers that indiscriminately fish the oceans then this realization becomes very evident, but just walking along the coastal beach one would never suspect that this devastation is looming.  It feels almost incomprehensible but this is what we humans are doing and the root cause of this threat is economic greed.  Therefore this painting shows the beauty of nature along with the longevity etched in the rocks that are on the brink of destruction.

This painting is one of a series of ten paintings that address environmental concerns about our oceans and coastal regions.

Art Techniques used to achieve this:

It could be said that this watercolour painting titled “The Fractured Earth #5” falls into the genre of landscape.  The complete series is called the Rockscape Series.  All the paintings in this series are inspired by photographs I have taken of this coastal region and each photo focuses on a particular aspect of the Rockscape.   Although I have portrayed the painting in a realistic way, the subject of the photos allows the paintings to look abstract.  I really prefer abstraction in the visual context because it taps into the unconscious processes of the viewer if they are reflective.

The symbol of the circle is universally used to represent wholeness and perfection.  It is no accident that I have used it here to depict the beauty of nature.  Last week’s blog (#68) discussed a circle that I used for a spiritual painting.

The composition is simple and is flat, which is consistent with my style even though I have portrayed each photo realistically.  It is balanced with the circle being central.  When the whole of the surface of a painting is dominated by a central image then this is described as a “medallion”.

Watercolour paint gives a very soft effect and the colours are clear and unambiguous.  An artist cannot “fudge” a watercolour painting because of its transparent quality.  The colours I have used are Red Violet, Hookers Green, Emerald Green, Sap Green, Manganese Blue, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green, Prussian Blue and Permanent Rose.

The style is contemporary.  The form is two dimensional and the concept is abstract.

The title gives the meaning of the art work and this title is used for the whole series.  Each painting in the series is numbered. 

 http://www.buderimartstudio.com

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #68

“Consciousness” 

(Handmade Paper rendered by me from vegetation) 

Size:  27x40cm

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING:

The Chinese mystic Chuang Tzu taught 3000 years ago about “the empty boat” meaning the state of egolessness.   He was a Taoist whose message of self realization (or enlightenment), centered on spontaneity and wholeness - about living life choicelessly and meeting death with the same equanimity.  Other mystics in our present time and throughout the ages talk of similar things.  Their teachings focus on love and being conscious in the Now – something that is at odds with our materialistic world today.

Human history teaches the political strivings of kings, queens and other rulers,   however there is another focus on history – a history of mystics who teach wisdom with an emphasis on peace and love.  When I talk about mystics I am not talking about any particular religion.  Religions are very different to spirituality and mysticism.  Religions are institutionalized where as Mysticism has no dogma – it is personal.

The painting “Consciousness” seen here, captures the essence of the thoughts and teachings of these mystics.  It is a painting, thought strictly no paint was used in its making.  It is made from paper which I rendered from local vegetation.  However this painting fulfils all the criteria for a painting – a painting without paint – very Zen...

The circle is a universal symbol for wholeness and centeredness.  I use it in this painting to bring attention to the here and now.  When in the Now, spontaneity and decisiveness is practiced and life can become more playfully.  These concepts are not based on superstition, faith or beliefs, but rather is conscious behaviour that works very well in our present society.

“When you gain the inner balance and your mind has become still, then right knowledge starts functioning through the centre where truth resides.” ((from “Yoga – the Sacred and the Soul”. p.39).  The human being has an innate striving towards wellness and health.  This is central to Gestalt therapy (Fritz Pearls), and is based on earlier philosophical and spiritual thought from both Eastern and Western traditions. 

Economic Rationalism (or Neo Liberalism) is the philosophical and economic thought that is driving our world at present.  It talks of “self interest” as being the motivating force behind all human endeavour.  However this concept of self interest is only associated with money and materialism,  and underpins the greed in today’s markets.  Economic Rationalism is simply a political/economic concept of materialism and does not embrace other concepts of humanity such as love, co-operation and care.

In my painting “Consciousness” I allude to wellness and functionality derived from living a life centred in the Now.  That it is a painting done without paint adds to the paradox and mystery of not knowing everything and not having all the answers.  Just observing life as it unfolds in the Now.

Art Techniques used to achieve this:

The genre that this painting falls is spiritual.  It is not a religious painting because its meaning is not connected directly to any particular religion.  The meaning of the painting is more associated with teachings of the mystics - both modern and ancient.

The style is contemporary.  It leans towards Japanese in its simplicity and use of paper.

It is monochromatic in that it is very neutral in colour.  There is no pigment except the colour of the natural fibres used in papermaking. 

The form is two dimensional and the concept is abstract.

The composition is not complex and is static.  It is balanced with the circle being central to the whole piece. 

The title gives the meaning of the art work.  If it was to be titled “Circle” it would have a totally different meaning.  The title “Consciousness” clearly articulates what this painting is about and the painting’s abstract simplicity emphasises this concept – the concept of self-realization and Spiritual Enlightenment. 

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #67

“The Fractured Earth #4”  Rockscape Series 

(Watercolour, Acrylic and Silver Ink on Handmade Paper) 

Size:  83x98cm (framed)

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING:

I am working on a series of ten watermedia paintings on paper. They were inspired by the rocks along the coastline near where I live at Point Cartwright.  The rocks are volcanic and have been formed by the cooling of lava eons ago.  I took many photos of these formations because, to my eye, they are very beautiful.  I attach here one of the photos of these natural volcanic formations.

As you can see I have painted the composition in a realistic way but have taken liberties from that point, in that I have then used creative techniques to further develop the painting a contemporary way.  Therefore the viewer can see that the photo is the same in the painting, but that is all. 

This series of paintings open for discussion questions such as sustainability and environmental awareness in this modern environment.  It is no secret that our beautiful Earth is beset by pollution and the magical blue planet is becoming degraded.  My paintings in this series serve to draw attention to the fact the beauty which we enjoy may not be the same for future generations to enjoy.  What we now take for granted is under threat.  We all need to be aware and

responsible for our Earth’s care which includes the oceans and coastlines.

Art Techniques used to achieve this:

Each painting in this series is done on a full size sheet watercolour paper.  Initially I used a wash of watercolour - Windsor Blue+ Indian Red to represent the water-hole in the rock surface.  I wet the centre of the sheet and let it stand so that it has is fairly saturated before applying the watercolour wash.  I kept the surrounding paper dry.  The crack in the rock face is created by indenting the paper with the wooden end of my brush while the paper is still wet so that the watercolour runs into it.  I then let it dry. 

The surrounding area was painted with acrylic paint and applied with a roller.  I used stylized images of fish to represent the alarming number of dead fish I see washed up on the Mooloolaba beach when I go walking.  I borrowed these images from ancient Japanese pottery and rendered them in silver ink. 

The overall colour palette consists of subtle variations on blue.  Blue is symbolic for our Earth - it being the blue planet.   The only deviation from blue is the yellow ochre splash in the upper segment of the circle and the ochre that I used around the perimeter of the circle which depicted the waterhole in the rock formation.  A circle is a universal symbol of wholeness and wellbeing.  I was prompted to paint this image when I saw the perfect circular water-hole in the rock formation.    The tone of the overall painting is high which means not too much light/dark contrast.  There is not attempt at perspective but it is rather stylized and flat with a static composition.  This type of composition is called a medallion because the subject takes up most of the painting surface and is positioned in the centre.

All ten of the Rockscape Series deal with some aspect of the degradation of the Earth’s oceans.  This particular one (#4) deals with the depletion of the fish population in the oceans.  It is estimated that the oceans’ fish populations will be reduced by the year 2050 to an alarming low number.  I will present more from the Rockscape Series over the next year.  Do you think that this painting conveys my message?

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #66

“Thoughts Moving in Consciousness #3” 

 Satsang Series 

(Acrylic and Ink on handmade paper) 

Size:  70x104cm (unframed)

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING:

“By drawing a diagram, a ground plan of a house, a street plan to the location of a site, or a topographic map, one draws a ‘logical two dimensional picture.  A ‘logical picture’ differs from a natural or realistic picture in that it rarely looks like the thing it stands for.”  This statement was from Robert Smithson’s “The Collected Writings”.

(“Smithson is most well known American artist/sculptor noted for his provocative earthwork, the “Spiral Jetty” made in 1970. He gained international recognition for his groundbreaking art which was not limited by genre or materials as well as for his critical writings that challenged traditional categories of art between the years of 1964-1973. His art and writings have had a profound impact on sculpture and art theory for over thirty years.”)  See website http://www.robertsmithson.com/introduction/introduction.htm for more on Smithson where I sourced the above bracketed paragraph.

Although Smithson’s approach to art making is entirely different to mine, the above statement by him, could be applied to my abstract art and gives people another way of looking at abstract art.  Generally people never question what a map represents though when they are faced with abstract art they often search for some identifiable image within the picture.  In my blog Understanding Abstract Art, I aim to educate the general public in how to “see” this particular art form and to appreciate it for what it is.   In my painting “Thoughts Moving in Consciousness #3” shown above, I could have easily made the shapes within this painting to represent the human form.  However I resisted from doing this because the overall meaning of this painting (and series) was an attempt to express what was happening for me in meditation.  The fact that viewers can “see” people in this picture is of no concern to me the painter, nor was it intended to represent anything to do with the human figure.  I am painting an abstract concept and trying to express it in a way that is visual.  The title gives the viewer a clue to what it is about.

Art Techniques used to achieve this:

The invisible fire of meditation is represented by the orange/red.  Its complimentary opposite is blue.  These blue marks represent my thoughts as they come into my consciousness during meditation.  Ink is a particularly vibrant medium and has a transparent quality, whereas acrylic is generally opaque.  Contrast in media creates interest for the viewer.

The composition has a vertical emphasis but there is also a diagonal emphasis in the four dots running from upper right to lower left.  These opposing thrusts create an equivocal (subliminal) message because verticals and horizontals tend to suggest a sense of order and balance, whereas diagonals suggest tension and drama.  Meditation is a state of being where the mind is balanced and empty.  When thoughts enter consciousness, they interfere with this state. 

A good way of ensuring a painting is balanced is to turn it upside down.  This change in visual perception makes any incongruity obvious.

 Another way to discern whether a painting is balanced is to view it in a mirror.  In my opinion if a painting satisfies the basis parameters of balance and colour harmony, then it is not necessary for it to represent an identifiable image.  If I had developed the marks in this painting so that they represented people, the painting would still be balanced and the colours harmonious, but the meaning would be changed.  However I am trying to convey the abstract concept of meditation, and in this respect I feel that I have achieved this.  Just like a map, abstract art conveys a concept or idea in a different way to that of words.  It is a visual communication of an abstract concept.   

What do you, the viewer, think?

http://www.buderimartstudio.com