Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul Oil on linen 100 x 100 cm 2009
Love Oil on linen 100 x 100 cm 2009PAINTING UPDATE
I am still working on the painting I wrote about in my last BLOG. The one exploring horizons, strips of rain, hope, distance, perspective and aura. It is nearly finished. Once it is finished I will attempt to take an excellent photo and upload it on my BLOG.
I already know at least one person who likes this new work ...a delivery man who dropped off the cases of wine I had ordered for FRISSON'S opening. As he was leaving and passed by my easel, he stopped and said quite emphatically, 'Oh, I like this!'. He then had a close look at it and then stepped a few steps backwards to have another look.
Well, I was thrilled, not only because he liked the painting, but he did exactly what I hope viewers will do when viewing my paintings. Regular readers will know what this is. And...that is...looking at my work at both close and far distances, in a manner which almost mimics the steps I take as I paint up close and then step back to view my progress. Whether it is up close or at a distance I am engaging two main sources to critically analyse my work. These two sources or faculties, are my eyes of eye balls and pupils, and my mind's eye. The two work simultaneously, but differently depending on whether I am close or far from my work.
ART AND THE BRAIN
In my recent post about my painting Love, which is above, I wrote about my fascination with Dr. Norman Doidge's book 'The Brain That Changes Itself'. I pondered upon the potential of looking at art to change and /or create new brain maps. Please have a look at my Love post to read more http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/01/love.html
In this post I mentioned the experience of new ideas tantalisingly appearing only to slip away before I can take grasp. I wondered if this was, in fact, my brain in the process of change.
Today I was trapezing...well actually driving, but it felt like trapezing..around and I was on my own, because I had dropped the children off at their various activities [this included soccer training at 6.30 am...and we do this twice a week, and on 2 different days we have dancing at 7 am...plus the rest, ye gads!] Anyway, I felt a new idea being born in my mind, and I consciously took hold of it!
This idea 'saw' me 'see' the world as a brain, with its many 'maps' in various states of health and dis-ease, activity and inertia, creation and death. It struck me that negativity is re-enforced by the repetitive actions of the mass media. Anything which is repeated becomes habitual, and as we all know, habits then create needs and neediness. The mass media has fed the world's 'brain map' for negativity and negative behaviour, whether it be [mindless!] celebrity silliness, the voyeuristic cruelty of reality tv or the death of war.
Some art mimics mass media presentation and assists in the perpetuation of, an almost, idolatry of pervasive negativity diguised as entertainment. But, maybe the kind of art which is distant from mass media considerations, content and delivery, holds clues to alternative 'habits' which could form new world 'brain maps' or enhance existing more healthy ones. As I have written before, focusing on positive elements and issues, does not mean a lack of understanding of the negative forces within society. It just means that these are consciously ellided. This, in itself indicates balance.
Cheers,
Kathryn
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