Artist Statement
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality. This includes the first principle of being or existence, identity, change, space and time, cause and effect, necessity and possibility…. Wikipedia
Art is the practice of metaphysics.
The progression of a painter’s work, as it travels in time from point to point will be toward clarity: Toward the elimination of all obstacles between the painter and the idea, and between the idea and the observer.… Mark Rothko
My current work has focused on two ideas:
The emergence of consciousness.
The space of silence.
The imagery used include landscape, sky and ground with minimal or no figures.
The paintings are informed by a journey through the wisdom traditions, especially Eastern metaphysics and practices. They are designed for contemplation and meditation.
Some notes on the titles:
Shikantaza is a Zen mediation practice of sitting. It has no goal other than watching the emptiness and silence of the mind. We watch the mind, thoughts come and drift away. No judgments are made. The thoughts sometimes appear as non-figurative images, marks or ripples in the mind-space. Often clouds or color fields wander through the mind only to dissolve into a neutral space. Questions arise. From where doesn't matter. Who watches? Is this the emptiness from which we emerged? Are we simply a blank canvas seeking creation?
Satchitananda is the core of Hindu metaphysics with its focus on the core ideas of Being, Consciousness, Bliss, and the non-differentiated unity of the unchanging Brahma and constantly changing Maya. The images at work in these paintings capture the interplay of light on the atmosphere.
The Bereishith Suite Gallery is a sample of a group of paintings based on the Bereishith, the first six chapters of the book of Genesis. The numbers refer to the Chapter and Verse, while the symbols in parenthesis refer to the timeline of the creation. My continuing interest in Creation derives from trying to find a way to express the process of something from nothing. Illustrating the fundamental energy of reality through form and color.
The Kundalini Suite is an interpretation of the traditional Chakras with the addition of the oft theorized mystical out of body energy center. The colors are those associated with each Chakra.
The work that appears in the Contemporary Landscape Gallery focuses on same themes in a more intentional, albeit simplified, expression of the natural world. They are less concerned with reality in favor of the expression of silence.
The Classical Landscape Gallery is a selection of paintings that informed my evolution from traditional realism to the development of non-objective realism. It began my focus on emergence and silence.