Nature and the Divine

Painting landscape have been an approach that I've taken for quite some time, manipulating them into abstracted forms standing by the melding of colours. Mostly based on an the amalgamation of my own archive of landscape pictures as well as the imaginarium, I try and create lines that would have been naturally created with a slow push here and slight tuck there.

Nature has always been an important subject within the arts, whether one is a creator of landscapes or not. The constant backdrop of the day to day have mostly been if not predominantly overrun by the vast natural world or the lack of it. Throughout the history of painting, nature have always been a part of most if not all important art movements; the ancient arts of hieroglyphs and cave arts as well as alchemical allegories to the middle ages. With the renaissance we are seeing depiction of realistic attempt of nature (amongst other subject matter) until it proved to be overrated and people started abstracting realities with impressionisms and then eventually, straight down to it, abstract art. As interesting as it may, looking at the linear timeline as art evolve alongside the intellectualism of our human and cultural understandings, they are constantly reacting to one another. Art has become a way to encapsulate our understanding of reality so much that at this moment in history, in a world where political discourse is at its highest state of subject matter and freedom with the help of instant access with the internet, political art has a way to move our emotions and way of thinking more than any other medium (portrait, minimalism, brutalism, abstract, etc.) could.

But I digress.

The importance of nature in our lives, whether or not we paint it, is absolute. We need them more than they need us and I have always find that the sense of being obsolete have never been more prevalent when we are in the middle of nature far, far way from everyone and everything else. I do believe this is why that we are able to connect with ourselves more, process experiences and work through them, seek enlightenment if you may so incline, best when we are in nature, within the landscape of wilderness, when we as human civilisation has worked so much in our evolution to control such chaos.

'The Divine is everywhere, even in a grain of sand; there I represented it in the reeds.' Caspar David Friedrich in reference to his painting Swans in the Rushes (1819-20).

It is of no problem to agree that we can connect divinity or enlightenment within the freedom of nature. Most religious arts they would depicts scene of saints or prophets somewhere in nature, or events of catastrophe struck by the gods or goddesses within elemental disasters and even sublime contentment depicted in Monet's garden.

Over several years I have profoundly enjoyed my readings and research into mysticism, old religions, symbolisms and esoteric works. It has grounded my beliefs even further in my love of exploring landscape as a subject matter and that it has only just started for my practice. Since my art hiatus of over three years, it is such a pleasure to feel the excitement and curiosity alighted with each sessions no matter if it's panting on canvas or simple sketches with pencils, to pursuit the wedding of divinity and nature.

Ethereal Chaos

I find that the best way for me to entice myself back to painting was reading and researching art, more specifically about painters. I enjoyed reading about their lives and their relationships with the process. There is truly something quite inspiring and humbling about relating one's struggle with those who I look up to.

Most recently I have finished "So Much Longing in so Little Space" by Karl Ove Knausgaard of Edvard Munch and found it comforting to read an art appreciator going on and on not of just Munch's life but also his longwinded passion with his personal pursuit of creativity. It was the jumpstart that I needed to alight the small flame that was diminished quite some time ago. This time I decided to focus on how certain artists decide to approach their way of expressing creativity. Not just painters, though I do find the comparison easier to acknowledge compared to most other mediums, I have really enjoyed looking into writers and their ability to convey ideas through languages, musicians through evoking emotions with sounds. Something that has kept stuck in my mind was a passage from "Concerning the Spiritual in Art" by Wasilly Kandinsky "One art must learn first how another uses its methods, so that the methods may afterwards be applied to the borrower's art from the beginning, and suitably. The artists must no forget that in him lies the power of true application of every method, but that that power must be developed."

It has been years since I read the book but recently with reestablishing my practice I find deeper insights, seeking the methods of others and in a way, to understand how others see and convey meaning to what they do.

When I was at Art school I loved looking through books of artists, seeing their works in full colour but also of their studio and how they move in these spaces. Most of these mediums are objects suspended in time, immovable but able to hold such emotions that could move you, breaking the barrier of bodies and solidity through to the astral realm of ones minds and thoughts. Is it not true that art could move you from one emotional place to another? The joy of being able to see other artists within their spaces of creation is truly a marvel. Watching manifestations of ethereal chaos into tangible reality. Like magic.

Slowly I am collecting some more art books to go through with the hopes that it could highlight some fascinating applications and ulterior perspective, a new pair of glasses to look through. At the moment I am having fun learning the basics of colour, creating a somewhat personal chart, a colour map so to speak based on the elements and what they stand for. I felt that my landscapes has been from an abstracted reality, feeling lost in the world and searching for a place I could understand. The long break has been great in giving me the time to let go of old perceptions that perhaps is no longer useful.

Spiritus Vitae

Over a month or so ago I decided to pull out my small collection of paints and unopened brushes. A week or so before that I started getting these daydreams, manifestations of accumulated esoteric books I have been reading for awhile.

It has been close to three years since I've decided to stop painting, focusing instead on my new (at the time) passion of sewing and working with repurposed textile. I was excited with the completely different approach of creating a piece of garment, sculpture like in conception. I start with setting certain colours and fabrics together, arranging them like I would a collage that will eventually be a garment that is made entirely out of repurposed materials. I pour all my attention to working in this form, enjoying the immense satisfaction that comes with seeing my work of art living amongst people out in world, being worn and loved from the comfort they could offer.

It shifted my understanding of the usage of medium in art. I have been painting for most of my life, one of my earlier memory is me painting watercolours in the backyard of my childhood house, being in high school and aspiring towards Van Gogh and Basquiat. Painting had always been the main focus in my creative expressions. Eventually I learned to love photography and writing as well. But sewing was in such a different league, the level of craftsmanship attained from learning this skill reminds me of that old agency that comes with being self-sufficient in all manner of living. Old world crafts are such beautiful works of art. It can get overshadowed these days by the shinny glistens modern concepts and technology are preaching as the "elevated" way to live.

Through this passion I then went deeper to understanding the global urgency that comes with garments industry, like fast fashion and over-consumption in retail spaces. Since slowly dipping back in to painting I have an idea of somehow combining my two art focuses, a few experiments have been done but more will definitely come as I navigate this new realm I have stepped into.

Art can be mean a lot of things but for me it has always been a safe space for trying to understand the world and expressing that wonder in a safe space to play where trial and error is part of the process alongside love of stories and love of the strangeness.