Reflection On My Work: 03 May 2024

An end-of-the-week summary of what I'm currently thinking about in my painting practice.

• Active empty space as depicting the unconscious  

• Emptiness and fullness existing in a harmonious balance 

• Minimising details to capture the essence or spirit of the subject; Openness vs Closedness. Minimalism allowing the painting to become more ‘open’, allows the view’s imagination and mind to fill in the gaps and also project so that the artwork acts as a mirror 

• Repetition to understand the essential lines/ form / structure of what is being depicted 

• Painting on the edge of accident and intention, control vs. no-control. 

• Getting the mind out the way to let the body create  

Notes: No-mind; Zen Buddhist philosophy; child-like joy in making art. 

• Bold use of brushstroke;  

Notes: Repetition allowing the mind/body to become tired and relax into confident mark-making 

• Using painting as a meditative exercise to watch the mind / behaviours and notice fears, beliefs, etc. that are holding one back. 

• Capturing the ineffable / sublime / indescribable through artwork; reaching areas of human experience that cannot be grasped by words or philosophy but have to be seen, felt, experienced. Other dimension of experience. 

Notes: Human spirit - Boundaries between self / other / world coming into question; Japanese conception of the self as relational (Watsuji) Japanese conception of religion/spirituality/philosophy as self-understanding and self-transformative. Connection to Japan deeply felt but indescribable and beyond conscious understanding.  

• Experimenting with different media (types and colours of paper, ink, oil pastels). To do next: experiment with oil sticks on large paper against the wall and on the floor. Try printmaking?  

• Painting as a full-body experience (child-like, energy, fluidity, dynamism, movement).