"Staying present, then, means staying here - right here - and there are a few simple steps that can lead us to the experience of profound attention and a direct experience of the moment that we're in." excerpt from - Michael J Formica MS, MA, EdM - Psychology Today
I am intrigued with everything, in awe of all, and amazed by the endless intricacies and idiosyncrasies in this world perceived and imagined. The simple and mundane wonders, the things that glow, furry critters, the little hidden things in nooks and under rocks, the reality and illusions of the present time, the past and future, the journeys of life, ancient smells, the behavior of light. I often discover that everyday things are full of profound wonder and even bizarre - a circus of strangeness. We often fear what is strange and cloak ourselves in social pretense. I wonder why? Maybe it’s fear of failure? Maybe it’s imposter syndrome? But why? Some folks would rather die than be exposed and humiliated.
On a smaller level, we often hide behind a mask just so people will respect us or like us or not hurt us. Maybe we fear losing face because we are afraid of being the student, that someone may become our master. The truth, I think, is that we are all teachers and students. Shepherds and sheep.
I hope to explore the what and why of these fears in the actual process of creating artwork, as well as the joy and splendor of experiencing a cathartic release from it. I try to work out these subjects and questions through explorations of color, texture, characters, and process, within a loose narrative personified by the clown spirit - the buffoon that stumbles through trying to make something of the world but instead making messes. I want to embrace failures within my art-making process and move towards approaches that go against reason, either technically or aesthetically, allowing for some light to break through.
Statement
This series explores the familiar and mundane through a perception of time and space, history, and aspirations. Travel for me, especially in an automobile, is about as common an experience as you can get. It is tedious for most, but I find myself captured by the metaphor of having left a place and headed to another, while the present blurs by in my peripheral vision. The simple metaphor of our lives and the fleetingness of now. On long trips, especially when occurring in deserts and plains, compositions of light and landscape create a Drishti - a point of focus that allows for a transcendent experience and ultra-awareness of place and time, helping me to contemplate the realities of time. The past, present, and future converge, and the illusion recedes to reveal a sliver that exists between the past and future - the now.
For me, the artmaking process is similar to this experience. I'm aiming to find that sliver between idea and execution and remain there: I am not just seeking to achieve an end product but to find the raw, creative sense of wonder within the act of making.
My hope is for the viewer to find perspective, contemplation, and consolation in the mundane business of day-to-day life and to consider the moment in time in which one exists in relation to their past and future. I have a coinciding series of paintings that focus on the peripheral passing moments rather than the driver's perspective of the past and future. In most of these paintings, I use oil on acrylic or latex, or just acrylic. I enjoy painting on found objects as well as stretching my own canvas.
