LifeStyle

When attempts have been made to describe a work of abstract art many people have used words like “feelings”, “emotions”, and “soul”. I think these words are clues to what is actually happening within both the viewer and the artist.

The world of art and the environment of the mystical go back a long way together with many facets in common with one another – one being that they both seek to look into a deep unknown – and then seek to manifest it into this physical world by one means or another.

Therefore it is understandable that a non-representational picture can be difficult to comment on. The viewer might be “moved” by the artwork, but they may not really know why. I believe it has something to do with their sleeping soul being gently (or violently) shaken into a specific awareness. The earthy physical body may have very little understanding as to what might be happening, so they are left to struggle in explaining a spiritual concept from a physical point of view.

However, as an artist who has acquired (and lives by) a little understanding of certain spiritual aspects, here are my offerings of what I believe happens when a viewer comes across a mystical abstract painting.

In order to do that I want to present the whole episode from all aspects:

The Spirit
One of the Spirit’s major intentions is to bring spiritual understanding into the physical realm. One way to do that is to enter time and manifest a potential opportunity for a receptive body. That receptive body can either be the person being offered the opportunity – or the messenger of it. If they are the messenger then there are many ways in which that message can be put across … and one of them is by producing a provocative illustration or allegory in the form of an abstract painting.

Buying canvas paintings these days is seen as a rarity since more and more people are opting for the cheaper replicas of original paintings that are printed out on tarpaulin sheets and framed. These cheap knockoffs of original artwork do not last a lifetime and fade when constantly exposed to the elements like dust, sunlight, and air. Modern art on canvas should be considered something of an investment and a keepsake that you can pass down through the generations as something from this era. Like the paintings of the masters were passed down to this generation, so should these modern art pieces be passed on to the next generations to come.

Decorating your home with cheap knock-offs of certain paintings that you like or posters of paintings that you feel will make your home look good is fine if only for a little while. These things do not last and will soon fade away, and you will find yourself buying another poster or printout of another copy of real canvas paintings to replace the faded ones you have.

Can you draw a straight line? Most adults don’t consider themselves artistic. Parents do, however, worry about their toddler’s art abilities. As a child care provider for the past 10 years, I’ve had many discussions with parents about ‘how their toddler is doing’ as far as getting ready for preschool or kindergarten. They worry a lot about the final product of their toddler’s art projects. I try to explain to them that art is not just knowing how to draw a flower or a puppy, or whether or not little Jason colors in the lines. Little kids need to experience self-expression and the ‘doing of art’ more than having a page from a coloring book to hang on the refrigerator.

When a two-year old puts his chubby little hand in a tub of finger paint and happily smears all of the colors together on the paper or when he makes yet another ‘snowman’ out of play-doh, he’s creating. Granted, he will certainly tell you that his painting is his dad’s truck even though you ‘just can’t see it.’ The important thing to remember is that by allowing our little kids to experience art in their own way, we let them show us how they see the world around them, how they feel and think.