Mapping My Own Subconcious

The creative process, so far as we are able to follow it at all, consists in the unconscious activation of an archetypal image and elaborating and shaping the image into the finished work. By giving it shape, the artist translates it into the language of the present and so makes it possible for us to find our way back to the deepest springs of life."-Carl Jung.

Well lately I've been on this quest to further myself and to look inside of myself and figure out what's going on and why and how to just let things be and let them evolve themselves. This personal evolution is going well, and I think especially in the past couple of days I have definitely been creating some awesome things and thinking and finding and reading some really cool stuff. It's a very delicate balance of having control over yourself and really just letting go. I had always thought that the two would be like magnets being forced to attract, but really it's all anout the self realisation that some thihngs yhou have the ability to change and there are some things that are out of your control, and they are that way for a reason.

The following, I think, are great examples of artists letting go and simply using their mind to guide their body and their hands into creating something that may now be exactly what they set out to do in the first place, but is great all the same. for art to me is all about pushing the boundaries of everyday thought and getting people to think a little bit more, especially about things that they might repress in everyday life. I myself have fallen into the habit of repressing the negative things, but they come back to bite you in the ass eventually. We must, this is imperitive to me now, embrace everything, for the little things when conquered will not set seed and then grow into giant problems. I guess it's all about prevention.

A great site to check is here for a good surrealist look on things. 

Painting and ink drawings by the talented Elina Merenmies 

 Wonderful Wonderland Photography By Kirsty Mitchell

'Tis The Season.

 So this month has been pretty crazy. I've been trying to immerse my self in all things inspirational but there has also been a lot to organise for my trip and for all the end of year celebrations. I've always liked Christmas....the cheers, the warm wishes, the food.....oh, the food......but it hsa been brought to my attention that there sure are a lot of things out there just to sell and to sell and to then sell some more. I'm all for decorating the house, but the amount of useless crap! That's why I like it when I stumble across something that really makes me go "yeah, I'd put that in my house".....

These little cuties are from Walter & Co, you can find more of their stuff here.

I like their innovative take on a conventional tree and decorations.

These little "food art" pictures are pretty cute, especially fond of the sushi tree!

I've also been working on some new works with my NEW pens.....oh how I love new supplies. The first body is a triad of pieces as a dedication to the beautiful Roy Orbison song "Crying"......




"But It's True"
ink, pen and watercolour on paper. 

 

"Left Me Standing All Alone"

ink, pen and watercolour on paper.

 

"But, Darling, What Can I do?"

ink, pen and watercolour on paper.

I am really proud of these, I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with the resolution and believable skill. using the watercolours added colour (obviously) to the starkly contrasted facials but also emotional and depth I think.


What I would like them to look like when in order:

 "Sideways Chanting"
ink, watercolour and graphite on paper.

Whimsical Musings

Feeling like a total idiot recently.......it seems like everything I do isn't what I want it to be, but is still o.k anyway. I wish I could put pen to paper and have it come out like what is inside of my head......I guess my brain and motor-planning skills don't work like that.

I've been working with more ink and pen work again recently......delicate and feminine. Adding a splash of colour to stop them from being to morbid. It seems like my fixation on female anatomy and the darkness of the mind is starting to be prevalent in all of my works. I'm enjoying exploring the psyche though....dreaming and the supernatural subconscious are of particular enjoyment.

Here's a look at some recent stuff:

 

Surrealism: Beauty Convulsed.

"Surrealism lies at the heart of the photographic enterprise: in the very creation of a duplicate world, of a reality in the second degree, narrower but more dramatic than that perceived by natural vision."
— Susan Sontag, ‘Melancholy Objects’ in On Photography, 1972.

Surrealist photography interests me alot. The idea of double-exposure features predominately in the work of many surrealist photographers. Distorting facial features and emphasising imperfections are techniques employed both through the shooting of the film and the manipulation of the image afterwards.I recently purchased a book from the Eperimental Arts foundation entitles "Surrealist Photography" by Thomas & Hudson publishing, and it has some beautiful images and descriptions.



"Paris in the early nineteen twenties saw the growth of a new art form called surrealism. both a formal movement and a spiritual orientation, surrealism embraced ethics and politics as well as the arts. Surrealists sought to create a medium that liberated the subconscious mind."





Some artists you should check out are: Man ray, Jindrich Styrysky, Lee Miller and Dora Maar.
Also a great website to check out is here. 

P is for Photo.

Well since i've been studying manal photography at uni this semester, i've been on the internet lots recently looking up photographers, and boy have i found some gems !! They're not all using manual methods, and it seems that the artists i like most are very strong in using Photoshop or another means of photographic image manipulation.


Oleg Oprisco is a photographer from the Ukraine. His work in absolutely fantastic; so ethereal and haunting. Love the use of light and an apparent innocence in his work.....the sunbeams and lends flares are great and i love the slightly sepia-toned colouring.

You can find more of his work here and also here.