Painting Anthropology: The Evolution of a Painting cont...

My process has been about digging into the image and unearthing its skeleton. But where does my mind go during this process? My mind mirrors this unearthing process by placing itself into the world of super consciousness--a world in which time stands still and there is no space and time. It is a world where there is only conscience. The process and the space I go to are both simultaneously involved in this process of processing art.

This space I like to visit--"the space between", is a place that my mind switches over to while in the act of driving or painting. The space between is also known as the right brain modality of thinking. The magic picture books that propel your mind into this three dimensional space is an exercise into this realm. Gurus meditate to be in this place, and I do yoga to strengthen my presence of mind in this splace...meditation and prayer is the figure and the ground that is asking and receiving directions from this place...splace...middle ground and presence of mind...

I search for this place in my painting and am constantly bringing the image in and out of focus by painting layer after layer of paint and then wiping it away. The foreground and the background merge into the middle ground and the middle ground is where I try to get at and yet it is where I am when I get there in my mind. To describe it would be like watching a leaf drift to the ground in slow motion and see it dipping and weaving in and out of focus...

Painting Anthropology: The Evolution of a Painting

Over the next several weeks I will be highlighting my journey into vlogging. Vlogging is my next step on my painters journey and I am starting with a painting called "Snake Pit". Each individual film posted, will eventually make up a digital story that I will post on my You Tube page. Your feedback is welcome.

Script:
Definition: Painting Anthropology is the archaeological dig into the subconscious mind of a painter. "Anthropology", pronounced /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/, is from the Greek ἄνθρωπος, anthrōpos, "human", and -λογία, -logia, "discourse" or "study". And this film will study the evolution of a painting.
7.5 minutes of film showing in fast motion the development of a painting.
Narration: (voice over fast moving film)

"Snake Pit"
An Image has come into my head, “Snake Pit”. The object has taken on a life of its own. The objects (tulip tree twigs) represent ideas or events that are going on in my own life in a symbolic sort of way.

The image conjures up an extended family situation in which all the players are engaged in a sort of snake pit. The image came first, however, the situation, “the snake pit” followed. What is important is that the two ideas were separate and then became one and are being played out on the painting ground. The image has context and meaning to the artist. The spectator would never know this part of the magic. But the video will eventually unearth this reality to the spectator and shed some light on the artistic process.