Art as Process
By art as process I refer to a way of artmaking that bypasses the mind and allows a spontaneous unfolding of what wants to come forward. The intuition is the guide and I give myself to its lead. Art making in this spontaneous way can be a deep process that reveals not only the dark and assists in moving through blocks, but also the palyful and imaginative, with a movement to an increased sense of freedom. See images: Out of the ashes... rising Fig. 3 and and the transformational process of pain to opening in Figs 1 & 2.
Ailing (Fig.1)
Out of the ashes... rising (Fig. 3)
There is no ‘preciousness’ of an image in process painting, rather the image is ‘pushed’ to where the intuition wants to direct it. Often a sense of protectiveness will help to guide the painter as to what is waiting to be revealed.
For me this way of working has seemed innate or natural when I approached a stone, piece of wood or worked in a 3 dimensional form. Allowing with painting has been much more difficult. As a result, since 2001 I began nurturing my painting process first with Stewart Cubley (The Painting Experience http://www.processarts.com/pages/process/process1.html) and following/through the hiatus of illness, with Michele Cassou (Point Zero Painting, http://www.michelecassou.com/) from 2006-2011. My painting now is more immediate and fluid, with an increased ease of access to deeper realms of self, similar to my experience with sculpture.
Transformed Fig. 2