Abstraction and deeper meanings

Art Blossum Magazine recently posted on Facebook some pics of the works of Constantin Brancusi, a Romanian sculptor who "was a central figure of the modern movement and a pioneer of abstraction." I've always liked Brancusi's work but when I looked at the pictures of his art this time, I was suddenly struck with the thought that his work could have been a political statement of sorts and I wondered if that were true.

Constantin Brancusi, Danaid , 1913, Bronze, National Museum of Modern Art

I only did a cursory search on him so I have no idea if he had a political bent or not, however, I was interested in my own sudden ability to see the possibility of his art being a reaction to, or possibly a precursor to a growing cultural mindset of detachment from humanity, such that is echoed not only in abstract art, but in current rising violent crime rates, a high divorce rate, a huge generation gap, and families who are, more often than not, distant, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Was abstract art really a reaction to and/or statement about weakening human relationships? I recognize that at the technical level abstraction is seen as a method of simplifying down to the most basic components of something in order to experience the beauty of the parts, colors,or form, the expression of a feeling. I get that. But I believe that everyone and everything is interconnected on an affective level. It's that old cliche 'no man is an island' thing. I have come to believe that what I do and say today, determines my future tomorrow. If that is true now, it has always been true. I just didn't recognize it as such. That means that what I did yesterday, and the day before that, and the year before that, has affected my today.

Expressions and methods of creativity, in any field of endeavor in this world, are not only affected by previous or simultaneous acts and thought, but also affect current and future endeavors and thought in a continuous never ending line or circle. Think drops of water whose rings continually radiate out connecting with other rings and being changed in the process. How wonderful a thing that can be! I know. Who thought that after that rather dismal statement in paragraph two that this article is in fact a positive celebration of life being lived to its fullest!

My art has always had deeper meanings hidden within it that I have not necessarily understood at the time of execution. I would discover after the fact a depth I didn't even know was there. It just seemed to be in there, waiting for me to put it on paper or canvas. I have finally come to that place in my life where I at least somewhat understand that urge and have begun to direct it more purposefully and intentionally. And I love it. The writing of this blog is merely an extension of that creative process for me. I am almost in my sixth decade and my life has never held so much joy or promise in so many ways. I am truly a blessed woman.

To live deliberately

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.—Henry David Thoreau

"Civilized" life is so distracting, and the majority of us live reactive lives, merely responding to our environment and the rules and demands of others, rather than living our lives out of our own deliberate choices. That is what Thoreau was talking about here—living life deliberately, which is hard to do when you are so thoroughly distracted that all you can do is react.

I wonder if he is still in the reading curriculum in schools today. I think not.

A friend recently sent me a link to a video that has made a huge impact on my life. It has brought together so much of the information that I've already heard or known, yet didn't have a clue what to do with. This video presents a path to possible solutions. More importantly, it presents real hope.

My hope is that you will take the time to watch the video. It is two hours long, so you'll need to set aside some time, but it is well worth it. It seemed to me that Thoreau's quotes above and below are so appropo to what is talked about in the movie.

Synopsis of the movie:  THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what's REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream -- uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.


As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.

Our life is frittered away by detail ... simplify, simplify.

Be not simply good; be good for something.

There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living.

I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business.

You can read more quotes by Thoreau and others at BrainyQuotes.com

Focus on Love

The following was posted on Facebook by Women’s TEA TIME :

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there--fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge--they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion...love actually is all around. Love actually."

‘Mean is just so much LOUDER than kindness’ that it distracts us, causing us to focus on that which is not lovely or loving.

Seems that when you distill it all down, this is what all the ‘positive’ pics and encouraging words are trying to say--the bottom line so to speak. It’s about focus. What if more people consistently focused on ‘whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report’?

What if the population stopped rewarding the news media for the sensationalism and the media’s focus on the horror stories, all in the name of keeping us informed, of course? Is it possible to stay informed without focusing on the negative, nasty stuff? Things being what they are, I kind of doubt it, but I can wish, can’t I?

Maybe that is why so many cling to and defend the Christmas holiday, because for a little while they can pretend that everything is okay, or at least could be okay, for a little while. They can take a short break from the over-abundance of ugliness in the world and focus for a bit on the good things like kindness. Maybe that little bit of relief is sufficient to counter the overwhelming stress of the previous year and give us hope that next year will be better. Illusions can be very powerful, especially when they engender hope. Hope is a very powerful thing. But to get to that place of hope in our minds, we have to first change our focus. And so we come back to the beginning--focus. What will we choose to focus on?

Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. - Philippians 4:8

A Different Time or Place

 

Part of the reason for doing this blog was to have a place to showcase my art work as well as be able to philosophize. Actually, I love to do both, and combining them makes me very happy. Hence, the artwork with a message. Hopefully, it will touch your heart as well. If I can get even one person to stop and think just for a moment, I will have accomplished something. That works for me.

For the philosophy part:

I can honestly say that I spent a rather large portion of my life wishing things were different or that I was different, not realizing that I was foolishing spending way too much time living inside my head or inside books.Same thing. It was all escapism. Nowadays people seem to prefer tv, computer or video games. The ills that plague the human race run bone deep. I'm not being pessimistic here, just realistic. In order to successfully deal with a problem one must recognize and acknowledge it first, don't you think? I had to recognize my thoughts and behavior before I could change any of it. Of course, this is a life long process. A journey. I love adventures! Don't you?

A bit about the technique for the art piece:

The background for this picture was an experiment on regular tissue paper. I first somewhat haphazardly spread some gesso on the tissue paper and let it dry. I sprayed several colors of alcohol inks using some stencils/masks to add some interest and added some more gesso on top of that. The circles were done on coffee filters using sharpie pens and alcohol and then both spraying and dripping alcohol inks on. I dried the filters in between layers.

I then took pictures of them, manipulating them in Gimp on the computer, and finally putting them together in Publisher. The quote was one I found on Facebook.

I plan to use the actual tissue paper in collages on canvas so I'm getting more than double duty out of all of the pieces I'm painting. Much of my inspiration of late has come from videos from YouTube. I subscribe to a number of channels. I've learned a lot there. It's fun to try out new techniques. I will share some of my favorites from time to time. Today I want to share Jennibellie's channel. Jenny has videos on lots of different techniques that anyone can do. She also as a +blog you can find here. She interviews different artists about once a month which are very interesting.

Advice to a child

Musings in Wonderland Magazine,  recently shared this question:  If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your self as a creative child? Part of this I shared with them but it got me to thinking and so I expanded it a bit and decided to include it here.

Knowing what I know today, these are the things I wish someone had told me during my childhood.

Face your fears. Don't run from them. They are not nearly as scary as you think they are. Accept that pain comes in everyone's life, then let it go. The pain only lasts for a little bit then it goes away.

Forgive yourself first. Love yourself first. You have infinite value and worth just because you are you. Believe it. Then act on it.

Don't give up on your dream. You can make good choices. Just do it. It's okay to make mistakes. Everyone does. Just learn from them and move on. It doesn't make you less of a person. You don't believe other people are stupid because they make mistakes. Neither are you stupid because you make mistakes.

Use your brain. Be aware of your thoughts. Monitor them. Control them. You are the only one who can control your thoughts. Choose your thoughts like you'd choose what to wear for a special event. What you think really does matter. Believe it.

Balance the time you spend thinking about yourself with the time you spend thinking about others. You do not live on this planet by yourself. Everything you think, do and say affects others way beyond what you can know or understand. Look for ways to be of service to other people. Helping others makes them and you feel good about yourselves.

Follow your passion. Protect it. Nurture it. Work at being enthusiastic about your passon and don't let others squash it. Find people to be around who encourage you. You are building your future with what you do today.

And most of all, remember that life is a journey to be lived one day at a time. Enjoy today as best you can for that is what you have to work with. It is enough.

If you will read this everyday, seriously thinking about it until it becomes part of your thinking, it will help guide you on your life journey.

What would be your answer to that question? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Thoughts on Quantum Theory, Philosophy and Art

"The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it."

— Jules Renard, "Diary," February 1895

Did Renard know about quantum physics theory back then? I don’t think so but the quote applies nonetheless. Napoleon Hill wrote that every word that has been spoken is in the atmosphere around us as energy and that we somehow tap into that energy for our own use. In fact, he says we direct it with our choice of words. Words have power long after the moment they are spoken or written.

This is not a new theme by any means, but it is certainly an often overlooked thing in our mundane, everyday lives. We're too busy living, i.e., putting out fires, to have time for such esoteric, philosophical issues. Bullshit my other half calls it. The philosophical knowledge and understanding that I so thrive on is a burden to him, unimportant and useless information. To me it is the air I breathe, the sparkle and joy in life. How is it that some people want to know these things and others could really care less? Perplexing.

Even though I'm approaching being a sexagenarian, I still struggle with the fact that I am a dreamer in an often mundane world. It seems I've been that way my whole life, although I could not have put it into words like this before now. Maybe I will find a release in the telling.



The image that I use on my social web sites is a self-portrait I did years ago and I can honestly say that at the time of doing that drawing, I did not realize it was a self-portrait nor that it imbodied the 'dreamer' quality that is so me. Most of my art is that way. I do the art in the moment and then find hidden meaning in the artwork after its completion. It's as if my subconscious decides to play a joke on me, the punchline of which, like all good jokes, comes at the end. Surprise!