GALAXIAL

Detail of new painting with working title 'Galaxial Landscape' 90 x 200 cm Oil on linen

The above image is a detail of the painting I am currently working on. In my last post I briefly discussed a new work on paper called 'From The Stillness' where I have placed a figure inside a vortex. The painting above continues my interest in spirals, vortexs, helixes etc. I have used these shapes of phenomena in the past, but not with same intensity as I feel at the moment. I am reading another Martin Rees book [co-authored with Mitchell Begelman] called Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes In The Universe. Here's a link to a previous post where I write about Martin Rees's book Our Final Century http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/04/idea-sketches.html 

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes In The Universe is a more technical book than Our Final Century, but it is equally as fascinating. It was while I was reading the chapter 'Galaxies and Their Nuclei' that my idea for a 'galaxy' formed from my tree-of-life sprung to mind. The image of an elliptical coil of multicoloured branches set against an endless sky-space instantly excited me. The notion of life beyond our human experience, yet tantalisingly possible, got me thinking about how to represent it, thus the tree-of-life motif. I also wanted to clearly place humanity within the tantalisation, thus the tree-of-life motif. Our galaxy is one of an endless number in the Universal schema and our Earth is but just a small dot, indiscernible from far distances. Regular readers will now see where another part of my interest lies. And, that is in perspective...or possibly the loss or implosion of perspective as a traditional line of sight or point of view.

I have postulated before that in a globalised world in which we live locally, we need to be able to 'see' more than one perspective at a time. And, I am talking metaphorically here. 'Seeing' simultaneous perspectives is potentially a new experience which needs a new word to describe it. A word which departs from traditional notions of line of sight. A word which untethers our imaginations in order to help us wonder about the feeling and experience of being able to 'see' and 'feel' multiple points of view simultaneously. A word which assists us in uncovering other dimensions. Are we missing those dimensions because our sense of perspective is tethered by line of sight, which always has blindspots?

I still have a lot do do with my new large painting... it is 90 x 200 cm. I had to make sure the coiled or spiralled tree-of-life appeared to be almost 3 dimensional on the flat long canvas. Now that took some time to work out , but I am happy. I wanted the tree to sing with colour and so far it is showing signs of singing!  I wanted it to sing because, to me, that means there is an electricity or energy portrayed. It is important to me that in this painting a cosmic type of energy is evident and felt by the viewer. When the painting is finished I hope that the viewer feels simultaneously drawn into the spiral, and propelled to vast distances [at least in their imaginations!] Above is a small sketch I did late on the night when I was reading about galaxies.

So, I will return to my studio now. And, until next time, cheers,
Kathryn