Artists discuss "Notes for Travelers"

Sculptor Chas Martin and painter Don Gray will talk about their current exhibit at Art at the Cave in Vancouver, Washington on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 1pm.

Chas Martin and Don Gray will share insights on their creative processes and their journeys. Photo: Anne John

“When invited to put a show together, Don and I discussed a show title, but didn’t really talk about the art we would exhibit,” explains Chas Martin. “We are familiar with each other’s work. We knew there would be a natural synergy.” What could not have been predicted was the magic that occurred as the show was installed.

In their upcoming discussion at the gallery, the two artists will share stories of their processes and notes on their journeys. Martin and Gray have a similar palette and somewhat similar approach to applying color. Both title their works to encourage viewer interpretation. Several of the pieces exhibited even have similar titles. As the show took shape, the interplay of their thoughts and themes became very apparent. 

The nearly 60 pieces exhibited range from intimate to monumental. One of Gray’s ongoing themes is his exploration of the urn, a portrait-like treatment of a simple vessel shape. It is a theme he has returned to for years. Additional works include figurative paintings in varying stages of abstraction. These pieces are an intriguing complement to the dynamic gestures of Martin’s figurative sculptures. Viewers can make their own associations or conclusions about the pairings.

During the installation, the team at Art at the Cave began arranging pieces as they were unpacked, arranging compatible colors and themes. It was an organic process with minimal input from the artists. The interplay between the 2- and 3-dimensional pieces seemed to organize itself. “We trusted our friends at The Cave who know their space and how to best present the art. Their objectivity and experience make this exhibit all the more interesting,” said Gray.

Many viewers at the September 1 opening reception commented on the quality of the curation. Sharon Svec, the curator who has known both artists for years said, “The discussion between these two artists will add another level of understanding to the viewer experience. I expect this artist talk will reveal some interesting insights.”

Art at the Cave is located at 108 East Evergreen Blvd, Vancouver, Washington. Gallery hours are Tues-Thurs 11-5pm, Fri and Sat 11-6 or by appointment.

Artist Discussion is free and open to the public, Saturday, September 16 at 1:00pm. Arrive early to view the show. The exhibit will run through September 23.

That Blinding Flash of Inspiration

Flash of Inspiration - Work in progress. This piece sat on a shelf unfinished for months before the ultimate solution appeared. Part of the process is visualizing alternate solutions with paper, wire, ideas, Photoshop. Explore all options before you commit to one solution. See the final solution for this sculpture.

Years ago as an art director with a San Francisco ad agency, I was paired with Barney Currer, a writer whose creative process was similar to mine. Our daily routine included tossing ideas back and forth searching for something that would creatively solve the problem, please the client and sell the product.

After a sequence of ideas, Barney would light up and say, “Here’s a flash!” and then proceed to explain his great idea. I would offer a “yes, and…” reply. The goal was to get as many ideas on the table as possible without judgement. The “Yes, and…” technique is a Second City improv exercise that doesn’t judge the idea. It simply adds something to it. We would alternate “yes, and” replies on our way to progressively more insane ideas. Only after many rounds of craziness did the elimination begin. Some ideas were clearly impractical. Some impossible. Some would never get past the client. But all were way beyond the initial flash.

We have all experienced that flash of inspiration – an idea so brilliant we even surprised ourselves. But most of the time, that’s only the springboard. To be content with the flash is to miss a potentially greater opportunity through playful exploration. Before the evaluation process begins, you have to entertain the unrealistic and impractical ideas that may trigger even more ridiculous ideas.

One of the first creative directors I worked with in Boston wisely noted you can always scale back an insane idea and still have something outstanding. You can never embellish a mediocre idea enough to make it great. So, why limit your potential by congratulating yourself too soon?

We want to believe our flash of inspiration is brilliant. It isn’t. If blinded by the flash, you’ll fail to see that beyond it is an open door to a whole new realm of possibilities.

The Truth about “Truth Be Told”

Final large mask 39x39x9/5”

“Truth Be Told” is an oversized mixed media mask - 39” x 39” x 9.5”. It was my first, but certainly not my last large-scale mask. When I created the original version of this mask on a human scale, I knew immediately that I wanted to see it larger than life.

My mantra is: If you aren’t creating problems to solve, you aren’t being very creative. This piece was a series of new problems. Many of the techniques I used for smaller work transferred to the larger scale. Others did not. Life and art are for learning.

Original mask and larger version in progress.

The most significant realization as this piece evolved was the impact of size on how it is perceived. I’ve known this for years, but always managed to avoid working larger. I finally gave in to the encouragement and this is the result.

“Truth Be Told” will be included in my exhibit along with Don Gray at The Cave, 108 E. Evergreen Ave, Vancouver, WA from September 1 through 30. Opening reception will be Friday, September 1 from 4-8pm. You are invited to attend.

Intuitive art - creativity beyond logic

I have spent most of my career trying not to conform but to follow my own path. My goal has always been to create unique work regardless of the medium. Even if I try to imitate something, I can’t. My imagination immediately seeks a tangent and off we go in a new direction.  

Intuitive sculpture - works in progress. These are driven by curiosity rather than logic as I explore ideas.

There’s a downside to this creative drive. I never know how to categorize my work. It is exploratory, though not in the cutting-edge, shock-value, boundary-pushing sense. It’s more internal, personal, spiritual. It’s fed by what I read. I read everything from physics to metaphysical to philosophy.

Physics has always provided a source of inspiration for me. What we don’t know is a much larger and grander realm than what we do know. Recently, I’ve been studying the concept of consciousness. It’s very much related to quantum physics. The observer alters the observed. Although we may both observe the same event, we see it differently based on our experience and ability to process what we see.

Last night while reading “The Lens of Perception” by Hal Zina Bennett, I rediscovered the term “Intuitive art”. A timely coincidence? More likely a synchronous event. Searching for a definition, I found many, all either too general or focused on painting. So I dug a little deeper into the concept of intuition first.

Merriam-Webster defines intuition as “the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” Logic has no real influence here.

Artist, Cheryl Bannon defines intuitive art as “a spiritual, connected process that allows the art to lead the way as images form through the layers of paint and other media. Intuitive art is a process of creating art using an inner awareness that is heart centered and does not rely on analysis or head-based questions. It is a way of creating that is about connecting into your emotions and responding to what feels right.”

I experiment with archetypal characters and situations – with the narratives that connect us rather than segment us into micro categories. My process is definitely intuitive, driven by anything but logic. So I am going to wear this mantle for a while and see if it fits.

Perception: What you see is what you think

I have been fascinated with the concept of perception for a very long time. I recently read several books on quantum physics (very low level explanations) and realize how much of what we understand depends on perception. The act of observation changes the observed.

There is more to it than that. What we see is based on what we already know. The brain, a supreme pattern-matching machine, identifies any new visual input with existing patterns it already recognizes. When you see something truly new, it’s difficult to comprehend it as something unique. It simply gets associated with something you already understand and filed away accordingly.

Perception is a form of projection. We see what we expect to see. Nothing more.

suspended mobile - kinetic sculpture

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin is a legendary music producer who dislikes that description. He is much more than that. His recent book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” is not about the music business. It’s about the creative process and all the nuances that turn ideas into greatness. It is a brilliantly conceived and articulately defined description of the process.

I listened to the audio version multiple times, then bought the hard copy. Each chapter is concise with a Zen-like spareness. His reading makes each topic even more poignant. The observations, examples and advice are all delivered with humility that comes from rich experience.

There are countless books on the topic of the creative process. Most are a waste of time. This one is truly different. It is an offering of thoughtful and useful wisdom. Read it.

This short interview with Rick Rubin on People I (Mostly) Admire includes a few specific examples of experiences cited in the book.

22 Insights from Artists on Collecting Art

Leap 2022, Mixed Media on marble base. 16.75 x 8.5 x 7 in.

I was recently invited to contribute to an article on adding texture to your apartment - “22 Unique Ways to Bring Texture into Your Apartment” The article, compiled by Ryan Castillo of Redfin, appeared earlier this week.

The number and variety of perspectives by contributing artists is insightful. This informed mix of art buying considerations expands the criteria collectors usually include in their process.

It’s a short read. The insights are not limited to apartment dwellers.

Stephen King “On Writing” and sculpture

In 2000, author Stephen King published “On Writing” which crystalized his knowledge of his craft. In my studio, I recently listened to the audio book read by the author. His thoughts about creating stories based on situations and characters are very similar to creating sculpture.

King explains, “Stories are found things like fossils in the ground… Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered, pre-existing world. The writer’s job is to use the tools in his or her toolbox to get as much of each fossil out of the ground intact as possible…

“Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice. The story which results from it is likely to feel artificial and labored. I lean more heavily on intuition and have been able to do that because my books have been based more on situation than story…

“The situation comes first. The characters, always flat and unfeatured to begin with, come next. Once these things are fixed in my mind, I begin to narrate. I often have an idea of what the outcome may be, but I have never demanded of a set of characters that they do things my way. On the contrary, I want them to do things their way. In some instances, the outcome is what I visualized. In most, however, it’s something I never expected. For a suspense novelist, this is a great thing.”

King’s mission, first and foremost, is to keep readers in a constant state on page-turning anxiety.

As a sculptor, my mission is to keep viewers in a constant state of curiosity. My initial idea is also based on a situation. The character evolves in response. I have ideas for my characters, but I don’t tell them how to respond. I modify their gestures to tell their story.

The art of creating a novel or a sculpture is the art of managing information. What does the audience need to know? When do they need to know it? An editor will tell you to remove anything that does not build character or advance the story. What you leave out creates more suspense than what you leave in. With sculpture, what you leave out is not gone. That space invites curiosity. It gives viewers room to wander, to wonder, to interject their own experience into the situation, and to be engaged in the story. If that experience uncovers some pre-existing world, the story becomes a timeless archetypal metaphor.

The art of reaching the next level

I was recently interviewed for the 8th quarterly issue of Subjectiv Journal, an anthology of Pacific Northwest artists and writers. It was an honor to be included among these extremely talented people.

The interview questions focused on my studio practices. I took the opportunity to discuss my challenge/solution process for generating ideas since that’s what I do in my studio. While it seems very natural to me, I forget that pattern-breaking, risk-taking and an appetite for potential failure is very foreign approach for many people.

The interview helped me to reflect, acknowledge and share all. Studio work is isolating. In one sense, it’s very safe because no one else sees the mistakes. On the other hand, many of the minor victories involved in creating a sculpture are not visible in the final piece.

I don’t have many rules in my studio. And those, I break constantly. There is one exception: Each piece must be significantly better than the last by some measure. If, at some point, I don’t see a piece reaching the next plateau, it’s time to step back and reevaluate. The “What if?” process is ongoing. When a solution surfaces that elevates the piece, I continue. Until then, I’ll observe, explore and reconsider. I may need to remove a head, an arm, restructure the gesture. Nothing is sacred except the goal.

This self-challenge/solution process is not something others see. They only see the result. The thing people regard as art is a simple record that this creative process happened. Art is in the making. It’s the process of coaxing, negotiating and wrestling an idea from ambiguous thought to tangible sculpture.

That’s what draws me to my studio every day. There’s always the promise of another challenge and the possibility of reaching the next plateau. It’s like running up stairs. When your rhythm is on, you reach a step or two at a time. You haven’t simply finished a piece, but reached a significant step above your last.

Interview in Subjectiv Journal

In October of 2022, Jubjectiv Journal included a feature “In The Studio: Chas Martin” The interview focuses on my creative process and studio habits. The article appears on pages 99 -106.