Creative Continuity - Inspiration from the past

I make a point of not repeating myself or duplicating previous works. In fact, if I tried to copy a piece, I would quickly find ways to improve the original. Before long, it would be a unique piece.

A few weeks ago, I pulled “Dream’s Cape” from the shelf. The original piece was created in 2019. I always felt it didn’t go far enough. I started sketching alternatives. Within a few minutes another character emerged. While the underlying concept has similarities, the end result is a very different piece with a very different feel.

“Shaman” also required a few new techniques. I visualized a gold leaf interior. However, in construction, that was overpowering. A few glazes of Alizarin Crimson turned the gold to a more copper feel. It kept the richness but subdued the high reflection of the gold.

I think, therefore I create possibilities.

Visualization to realization is a process of imagining something in such exquisite detail, it manifests in reality. If you can perceive something in your mind with such clarity, it awakens you to experiences and aids in decisions that bring that vision to life.

Attention and intention create experience. Some will say this is bunk. I suggest they have not fully invested in the visualization phase. They have not been patient enough for that reality to materialize, or they are too deeply embedded in assumptions to recognize the options that appear.

“The Stone of Spiritual Understanding” Imagination has no boundaries.

In Deviate - The Science of Seeing Differently author and neuroscientist Beau Lotto poses a simple question: Do humans see reality? We don't. Everything we know is constructed by memory, assumptions and expectations. Only 15% of what we see comes through our sense of sight. The other 85% is fabricated by our brain. Our thoughts are our limitations. We cannot comprehend infinity.

In physics/philosophy, the concept of a multiverse or a many worlds interpretation of reality allows for infinite possibilities. Everything, everywhere, all at once. We are only able to experience one reality at a time. That reality is where our knowledge, assumptions and comfort zone converge. According to Lotto, if we change our brains we can release ourselves from the past. We unleash creativity and an entirely new realm of possibilities. We can realize anything we can visualize because all of those possibilities exist in the multiverse. (Here’s Why We Might Live in a Multiverse – Scientific American 3/6/2024)

The multiverse is an endless unfolding of universes. Together, they comprise everything that could exist: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. This concept has been considered as far back as the ancient Greek philosophers. It has evolved and has been debated in various fields, including science fiction, cosmology, physics, and philosophy. Some argue that it is a philosophical concept rather than a scientific hypothesis, as it cannot be empirically falsified.

I have lived my entire life believing there are far more possibilities that we perceive. It helps explain some of the mysteries of ancient civilizations. They were able to visualize and experience other realities. the art they left behind is enough to convince me of that. There is substantial thought by minds much more qualified than mine to substantiate this idea. Creativity is undervalued whenever we rate an idea as impossible. For every vision imagined, its reality is out there.

Diego Velazquez as sculptor of space.

One of many high points from a recent trip to Spain was a day at Museo del Prado. My long-time goal was to see paintings by Velazquez in person. As a court painter for the King of Spain, most of his paintings remain in Madrid.

Velazquez is one of the best painters of all time. In his later works he demonstrated a mastery of not just depth but of a three-dimensional experience on a two-dimensional surface. He is sculpting on canvas, drawing your attention into, around and through the space with masterful composition. “Las Meninas” is more than a scene of the life of Spanish Royals. As you view the painting, you are standing in the same position as the King and Queen, the subject of the painting. He is painting you as you watch and everyone in the painting is aware of your presence. The one subtle hint that explains this spacial masterpiece is the reflection of the King and Queen in a small mirror at the center of the painting.

Many great painters have managed space and depth successfully. I am unaware of any other painting that has turned the viewer into the subject of the painting. In doing this, Velazquez has made not only the painting, but the act of viewing the painting a 3-dimensional experience equal to experiences created by sculptors.

"Las Meninas” 1656 by Diego Velazquez. 125.2”× 108.7”

Dreams of Elders

Relatives long gone come back from time to time through dreams. It has always been a good experience. It usually makes me wonder what triggered that visitation. Was there a message? A warning? Or, more likely with my family, a joke?

This mask was full of challenges. I had never rendered fabric before. Nor had I ever tried to position multiple, fully-rendered figures on top of a mask. But, what fun is a project without problems to solve. The larger challenge with this one was how to paint it. I’m not sure this photo is fully accurate. The mask has a glow just below the figures.

Mixed media: 21" x 13" x 5".

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