Majesty and Oder Oil on linen 36 x 36 cm 2009While I was painting this image above I was thinking about 'order'...and not house tidy type of order [although I know my family thinks I should think about this more!]. I was thinking about 'order' as in destiny and fate or another name could be 'divine order'. Coupled with my thoughts about 'order' were ponderings on systems, all kinds of systems from natural ones to man-made ones. The largest system is the one which gives pulse to the Universe and whilst we may not conpletely understand this system we know it exists. Now this got me thinking...if we have evidence of a system it does not mean we know how it works, yet we have faith that it does.
Sometimes, a system is not evident until something happens which gives rise to questions about how, why and when the event happened. Sometimes people achieve things without an apparent system, yet once the achievement is made a 'walk' back through the experience will reveal a 'system', which may or may not demonstrate traditional lock step sequential patterning.
For sequential thinkers a system is possibly a different thing to a divergent thinking person. This latter type person will not necessarily think sequentially as in 1,2,3. Their sequence may be 3, 1, 2. This person is often a BIG picture thinker, who will demonstrate hyperactivity and boredom if confronted initially with sequential 'bits' without a BIG picture promise. I think primary school is a devastating place for tangential BIG picture thinking children, because there is so much emphasis on 'bits' of information. These children wonder why they need to learn the 'bits' and tune out when there seems to be no or little relevance...I have seen this with my own children.
So, these are some of the thoughts I had when I was painting this new image. I have just finished it and my thoughts are still spilling over... as they do...which is a kind of system isn't it? Indeed, I have faith that this will happen after finishing a painting, thus leading to the inspiration for my next painting.
I wanted to paint an image which 'spoke' of systems, faith and majesty. My tree-of-life motif represents all of life, but I have formed it to appear like the Earth in orbit. In this sense, the painting is a landscape, indeed a vast one. The size of the painting is small ie: 36 cm x 36 cm, but I like the way vastness still exudes with majesty. It fits in with my ideas about distance being close and/or far. Readers of my BLOG would know of my fascination with the permeability of distance and perspective. The tree-of-life and its branches suggest a system, a natural one akin to those of river systems, mountain ranges, cloud patterns, ants trails, vine tendrals, blood vessels, lymph systems, finger prints and the markings on the palms of your hands....and so on. Each dot represents another world of systems pulsing with life and having faith that it will continue.
I have painted the dots amongst the tree-of-life branches in various pale shades of the complementary colour of the surrounding branches. So, the purple branches have pale yellow dots, the red/pink branches have pale green dots and so on. I did this deliberately for a few reasons: 1. The colour wheel provides a system which artists can use to augment the visual impact of their work 2. I like the concept of seemingly oppositional forces creating a tension which can stimulate 'happenings' 3. I like how seeming randomness, as in the placement of the dots, can be questioned by the subtlety of complementary associations...and how this gives clues to 'hidden' systems at work in our lives and psyche [both idividually and collectively].
Anyway, I could go on and on! But, I won't because maybe you have your own thoughts and as I have said before I love viewers taking my work to places I have not thought of. I do not complete my work, because each conversation either within a person or with others, provides another completion, thus the possibility of multiple completions. Now, is that a system? Systems are everywhere. There is an 'order' in their very existence giving majesty and awe to our lives.
6 comments:
I like this painting too Kathryn, and I enjoyed reading what you wrote under it. You give a lot of thought to your work and I like that. In that you don't preach a particular philosophy, how is your work accepted generally?
My political satire is a hard sell to make to gallery owners as no one wants to offend a patron and then loose their business. It would be different if I was collected by serious art collectors around the world, but that isn't likely to happen in my lifetime.
Good luck with your up coming exhibits, I hope you do well.
I’m supposed to be working Kathryn. You drop these real deep thoughts that you know distract me and like, I got to get into the thick of the conversation.
You wrote, “This person is often a BIG picture thinker, who will demonstrate hyperactivity and boredom if confronted initially with sequential 'bits' without a BIG picture promise.” Well, somebody close to me must have sent this to you about me. I am not linear except by habit, rote, programmed, non-thinking motion, and then I’m a little OCD. It isn’t the system, it’s the repetition, but when I’m hardwired, brain into gear, all the way, I can see the whole motor and all its parts moving at the same time. Does that make sense? I see the whole system, sometimes even the unmoved mover. Usually after those experiences, I’m exhausted and actually very high in sensory awareness. I call that hyper focus. Yes, primary school was not for me. I spent the entire 5th grade with my desk next to the teacher’s and part of 4th and part of 6th. Ever see the movie Brave Heart? That’s me.
What I see in your patterns has double action. If I squint my eyes and sort of look at the pattern in a blurry way it looks explosive. But when you look at it in a “strain for the clarity” of every brush stroke, it looks like it is reaching. In between, it looks like it is expanding, connected to the last, but not in a straight line, like a tree branch in a randomly functional and I almost dare say, considerate way, although I’m not ready to admit that tree branched are well mannered, although I’m not ruling out the possibility either, and perhaps the universe and all its systems are also basically considerate and well mannered of the other.
I love the color. Did I mention I saved Adam and Eve as my screen saver on my computer at work? Everyday when I boot up the computer - there it is.
Dear Fred,
Yes, I do put a lot of thought into my work and I really enjoy how the thoughts flow as I work too. How is my work accepted generally?...you ask...well it is always difficult to talk about oneself. My work does not fit into current trends, but then I don't really want it to and I don't try to make it fit. I've been around long enough to know that trends die out. People who buy my work really love it and comment about it, even years after their purchase.
Ahhhh yes, your comments about selling your work are familiar. I actually think your paintings would create interest here in Australia...no-one would be offended, but there would be some understanding of the satire.
Check out www.artlog.com You can create a profile and uplaod images onto it really easily. Artlog is one of the best of this kind Ihave found. I have a profile page on it. The e-news is also good.
Every now and then I put your blog link up on my Facebook page and Twitter. You just never know!
Cheers,
Kathryn
Thanks for your answers and advice. I appreciate it.
Hi Ron,
I suspected you might identify with my description of the BIG picture thinker! I was diagnosed hyperactive as a child which I suppose means I'd be ADHD today! And, I have had more experience as a parent with all of this too. I could write a book! The thing is, there are duel needs ie: learning to understand attention etc etc issues, but also meeting high intelligence needs.
I could not understand why I was learning most of what was taught to me, particularly in primary school. And those silly little coloured blocks we had for maths. I could not understand why we did not just use numbers! Well, I could 'see' them in my head, but the blocks totally confused me and I am sure caused a complete disintegration of my mathematical understanding.
I am glad you like my latest painting. I am now working on anotehr and am at the stage where it feels like it is failing. But, I know from experience this is just part of the process.
You must have the coolest screen saver in the world then!
Kathryn
I am a very visual person - I like things with structure and balance, harmony and yet, at the same time, a bit of tension. all of which I find in your work. I came her because of Ron. I'll be back because of you and your work.
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