Out of the Darkness
ingredients: vintage book covers, vintage book pages, vintage watch movement, other found objects, feather, stitching, metallic oil crayon, graphite; 10.5 x 15 inches"Art is a wound turned into light." ~ Georges Braque
I made this piece at a time when I was too upset to really think about what I was doing. I just started ripping stuff apart and gluing it on; the process was entirely intuitive. I know it expressed my desire and hope to leave that dark place and be healed. Perhaps when something important is lost, it can be replaced by something even better. I had to believe that. And I know that making this was a part of my healing process. Art has transformative power.
As someone who at one time considered becoming an art therapist, I found the whole process of making this piece to be eye-opening. Not that I haven't had experiences of art-making that were like meditations, like being on a completely different 'mental plane' than normal; but this piece was accompanied by a great release of emotion. Also, I have little memory of actually making it; I couldn't tell you what I did first, second, third, etc.
Art therapist and author Shaun McNiff says, "Like dreams, art works are surprising syntheses of elements on the threshold of consciousness that present themselves. The artist prepares the space and lets the controlling mind step aside. Artistic cognition responds and takes advantage of accidents, chance, lines, forms , figures, and interactions that emerge "unwatched." (Art as Medicine: Creating a Therapy of the Imagination")
Though I never purposefully set out to engage in any sort of therapy (as I didn't here), sometimes it just turns out that way. Does this ever happen to you? I'd be interested to hear what other artists think about this.
clair-obscur-jour-nuit...toujours beau et intéressant !
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Elfi!
DeleteWow! I can really understand this post. It's true that art can heal. It takes you to another place and allows you to express stuff that is deep inside.
ReplyDeleteYes, it really does. Thanks for sharing your thoughts,Jo!
Deleteah but be careful of washing away the dust of everyday life, that's often were the deep magic is when we slow down enough to look at it....
ReplyDelete"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.'' WB Yeats
from Terri Windling's Myth & Moor
http://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2015/10/twilight-tales.html
Great quote, Mo, and definitely something to think about!
DeleteGorgeous work Sharmon, I love your thoughts about creating as well. A lot of the time when I paint it's only when I'm finished that I can understand what I meant to say (does that make sense?)
ReplyDeleteYes, Leesa, that makes perfect sense to me. It's like being hooked up to an altered state of mind, instead of the conscious one we normally experience, and it amazes me every time.
Deleteyes, yes and yes, so many times I look at a piece and just wonder how I got to the end as I remember starting but unsure of the step by step process...oh well sometimes I believe we are just open to moments of grace.
ReplyDelete"open to moments of grace" - I like that! Mind if I use it sometime - (lol)? I'm glad to know I'm not alone in these experiences, and that they seem to be a phenomenon that happens with art-making. It's kind of magical, I think...
DeleteThis piece is so powerful - on it's own, but hearing your words about the process makes it even more moving!
ReplyDeleteIt's the pieces that 'you' have to get out of the way, and for me usually come quickly and leave me a little breathless, that are truly therapeutic.
I couldn't agree more about the therapeutic value of getting out of the way, Judy. Thanks so much for the kind words.
DeleteI love hearing how this beautiful piece came about, art has been very uplifting and healing in my life.
ReplyDeleteIt is very enjoyable to choose some colors and let the work evolve intuitively.
Beverly, I'm so glad you enjoy the piece, and my little story. I think this is probably an experience common to most artists.
Delete'Out of the Darkness' is a very special piece.
ReplyDelete