The Night, from Forces Of Nature Series

The Tides, from Forces Of Nature series

FORCES OF NATURE series

I've been working on this series called, FORCES OF NATURE, for maybe five years. The idea was to give myself a 'grand project' outside of my illustration work, but using the techinques & skills I've developed for Illustration. It's based on the ancient concept of allegorical figures representing, in this case, anything I see as a force of nature. Traditionaly, allegorical figures were used to represent ideas like Wisdom, Justice, or Liberty, like the colosal statue in NY harbor. Seasons have also been represented by figures. I set out to do 12 of them, so they could become a calendar, perhaps, but I haven't been pursuing that too hard. In fact, I've been taking my time with them, for a change. The illustration business is pretty high pressure and you don't often have the time to really develop ideas over time. So giving myself a defined project like this keeps me focused and provides a framework for developing long-term ideas. So far, I have: The Storm, The Tides, The Stars, The Night, The Day. Previous versions of The Sun and The Moon are being re-worked. Other themes that I'm considering are: Time, The Volcano, The Forest and the four seasons, done individually. The Wind might also be an exciting one. The project started out digitally, posing models, or using shots from previous photo shoots and going from there. More about models and shoots later. Now I've taken to painting these in oil about 36 inches by 24 inches. This fits in with the leisurly pace I have set for the series and allows for further development.

The Stars, from Forces of Nature series

THE STORM, form Forces Of Nature Series

Global warming, tropical hurricanes, floods, etc. The world climate is in trouble and we have corrupt idiots "leading" our country. It's hard sometimes to be optimistic, but the world has always had terrible troubles. Anyone who is interested in History knows that plagues, wars and all manner of catastrophies are the usual state of affairs. This makes me want to hold on to the ones I love and cherish beauty and the good things in life. It's a time for Art, if there ever was one! I look at the process as a meditation sometimes, but at other times it's more like perpiring or breathing. You do something persistently enough and it becomes the thing you do. It also develops into something bigger than yourself. Delusions of grandeur and other ego trips seem to loose their grip when the humble process of work goes on and on. We work, we try, we strive to do good work, as good as we can do. But it's the doing that is the spiritual thing.

DAY from Forces of Nature series

FIRST POST!

Mid-day, mid- work week. Why should anyone care about art? Because we dream of better things. Because we have nightmares, fall in love, get dissed. Because life is full of experiences felt deeply, but very hard to bring to the surface . There are other ways of expressing ourselves than smashing things, driving too fast, getting drunk, etc. And we all have inside that feeling that no one can hear us or see us. No one touches that essence of ourselves. THAT is what art is for!
It's a way of first communicating with yourself and then with others something yearning to come out and be seen. A spark of life! A moment of greatness! A sense of beauty!
You can tell, that I care about art. Mostly creating it, but more and more, helping others to discover it. I don't care if it's traditional painting, or objects made from trash, or items created in the computer. All media is valid.But it works best if it comes really from inside you, even if it's unschooled or rough. It's a spiritual thing. It's also a fun thing! It's about not being quite as alone as before.
I would love to hear from you and share my long experiences at making art. Maybe we can help each other!