(I was invited by the lovely and talented Emiko from Draw Anything LA to submit a piece as part of the World Wide Blog Tour begun by Adrian where I answer a few questions about my vision and work as an artist. Thank you Emiko for thinking of me! For this week’s artists that I’ve chosen to carry on the blog hop, here is poet Fiona Shevlin‘s post, artist Kelly Harcus and Ursula Markgraf-enjoy! )
“Many people ask where inspiration comes from, and I think it comes down to worlds-three of them: the one in which we all live, the world of words we are about to enter, and the world somewhere between the two, where the images are. This third sphere is the secret one, the walled garden where carefully tended flowers blossom, or the blasted heath where the cauldron steams and bubbles. Pellucid or adumbrate, cluttered or spotless, it’s the place where even your closest friends can’t go. But you can wander about there and return with travel pics.”
-John Howe, master illustrator and concept artist for the Lord of the Rings movies.
Sometimes in a rare, magic kind of way, I come across a quote in a book that so utterly weaves all my disparate threads of thought together into one shimmering, beautiful cloth that I can only stare at the book page, jaws agape at the sheer knowingness of the universe. The words above from one of my favorite illustrators for Tolkien’s world (an obsession in itself!) was a glimmering manifestation of such an event.
But first, a little recap. You might remember that a few things have happened recently. Peekaboo! was launched in which Series 1: Enchantment unfolded to tell the story of what my heart beats to most, followed by Series 2 : The Secret Garden where I explored the allegory of the creative spirit behind Frances Hodgson Burnett’s much-loved tale. Peekaboo! accomplished 2 things for me-it allowed me to plumb the depths of where my inspiration came from as well as provide a platform for those who wanted a little piece of the magic to share it as well. And I cannot state enough how grateful I am for all the wonderful comments and feedback I’ve received from my fellow Peekers.
What am I working on?
While Peekaboo! serves as a little artful event on the side, my main pre-occupation for the major part of this year has been to dream and build my first body of fine art paintings which you have seen a little glimpse of here. Having fallen in love with the otherworldliness of the underwater kingdom, I wanted to create a series that expanded on my enchantment with it. But something was still missing.
I knew I didn’t want to paint just nature’s amazing creatures, I want to create a parallel world that is at once imagined and real, to amplify reality to such a way that we are drawn to engage in it even more.
This is when John Howe’s quote hit me like a beam of light on a dense, dark night. First I was captured by how synchronious it was that he writes about inspiration being from three worlds, two of which hold deep significance to me-the real world we live in and the secret walled garden (secret walled garden!) we adventure in.
I was struck by how much I needed these dichotomous worlds of the real and imagined to create authentically but what really sent shivers up my spine as my spirit shouts “this is it, this is it!” is the idea of wandering about our imagined worlds and returning with travel pics! Adventures! Journeys! Expeditions! Explorations! A definite deep soul love for someone who has lived in three continents- the puzzle piece has now clicked into its place magically.
Hence Explorations, the series was born, the first begins with Journey of the Seven Seas:
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
My vision for this body of work is to dance the line between the imagined and real, worlds not quite representational and almost but not quite fantasy. I can’t resist imagining myself as part naturalist, part fantasist and part enthusiastic world explorer. Instead of just painting what I see, or painting straight fantasy, I’m fascinated by the idea of a world seen through the eyes of a pioneer-an explorer not unlike a Meriwether Lewis meets Verne’s Professor Pierre Aronnax.
I also have a couple of ideas swimming about that I am playing with in regards to display and exhibition design, but I will leave that for a later unveil, stay tuned!
Why do I create what I do?
I feel deeply the loss of old-fashioned play and wonder, mourn the passing of the age of discovery and lament the creeping apathy of society as we live vicariously though social media, numb to all but what we see in artificially flattened worlds that lull us to imagined but not quite lived, adventures. To me this is a foreshadowed dystopia of the bleakest kind, and I am every bit as guilty of inviting its coming.
It is a world teetering dangerously on complacency and I want to be part of the solution rather than the problem. I’d like to invite you to embark on a wonder-filled revolution with me, one that re-embraces our humanity, our wildness, our very essence of aliveness. It is the only way to progress as a species, to feed our imagination, reach dizzying heights of creativity, innovate.
I believe passionately that I can set this course by creating art that both requires and inspires tangible exploration rather than convenient virtual living, one that heightens rather than dulls our senses. I want the TreeSpace Studio to lead by example by sharing my discoveries of enchantment through storytelling and art experiences, so that I may reach out with this to say, to those who struggle likewise:
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”―Joseph Campbell, Power of Myth.
How does my creative process work?
What I try to do when I’m dreaming up a piece of art, before I ever lay paint on paper, is to ask this question: “What does it feel like to see something for the very first time?”
Which then raises some very interesting and exciting considerations: “What specimens we would be bring back with us? What would we sketch/draw/capture in our travelogues and sketchbooks? What stories will we tell the folks back home?”
Naturally this requires lots of real world research (preferable) which can range from visiting aquariums, throwing up overboard a deep sea fishing trip, kayaking, and of course some virtual ones (less preferable) in which I capture lots of photos and tack many up on an inspiration board in my studio.
Much sketching and color studies ensue until I’m brave enough to tackle the large blank canvas (or paper) and then it’s a few days of nail-biting painting and praying it all works out!
How will you explore?
As a parting thought, I’d love to hear from you below about where you go exploring for inspiration? Are they imagined or real? What little adventures move your soul deeply?
I hope your expeditions are not just of the virtual kind and if they are, do head out this weekend for a petite, tangible one even if it’s just for a little stroll in the nearby woods or a walk down the beach. It’s not easy for someone who lives half the time in an imagined world (guilty!) but it is surely worth it!
If you are interested in finding out when I return from my seafaring odyssey with painted specimens to share (and collect), do sign up below to be updated!