Flora & Flexibility

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This is new painting I did a couple of weeks ago. As an artist, I’m finally feeling as if I’ve found my style or niche. This goes hand in hand with being comfortable with whatever the finished product looks like.

Many artists (or ones that I’ve read about or have known personally) claim to be their own worst critics. I think there’s a flavor of perfectionism that accompanies this mindset. Mainly, that what one has outlined in their mind should closely mirror what ends up on canvas or other desired media. I used to be this way. But I’ve learned to find solace in things not ending up they way we want. Isn’t that a much more profound adherence to life in general? Being flexible and “rolling with the punches” turns any situation into the right one.

Gregory Hays’ translation of Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” highlights this discriminating but useful quality:

To live life in peace, immune to all compulsion. Let them scream whatever they want. Let animals dismember this soft flesh that covers you. How would any of that stop you from keeping your mind calm—reliably sizing up what’s around you—and ready to make good use of whatever happens? So that Judgment can look the event in the eye and say, “This is what you really are, regardless of what you may look like.” While Adaptability adds, “You’re just what I was looking for.” Because to me the present is a chance for the exercise of rational virtue—civic virtue—in short, the art that men share with gods. Both treat whatever happens as wholly natural; not novel or hard to deal with, but familiar and easily handled.

Untitled

(Untitled) Acrylic on Canvas

I began doodling random shapes and patterns while resting in Costa Rican hammocks. It was a deliberate exercise in opening up and letting go of intentions and expectations. No judgement was cast as I moved swiftly between designs. I decided to take a stab at painting some of these symbols on canvas with acrylic paint.

I’m not sure exactly what this piece is meant to signify, but I feel the style captures a nice balance between my love of neo-tribalism and graffiti art.

(No Title)

Last painting of the year! No breakdown needed, as the heart is a universal symbol and image. Would love to hear other’s interpretation though!

Peace & Love!

Hopi Mask

Once again, a long dry spell of painting inactivity has impacted my productivity over the last several weeks. The ubiquitous culprit (work) can’t be blamed for all my creative blockage. I’ve found myself in states of uninspired and lethargic moods lately. It could be due to the excessive amount of work I’m consumed with at the moment, which has left me with very little downtime.

I’m the sort of person that needs healthy amounts of downtime in relation to professional work in order to get into my artistic “groove.” My philosophy on creating art is that one needs enough emotional and psychic space (or current day buzzword: “bandwidth”) in order to be inspired and/or produce work. I can’t create when my back is up against a wall (in terms of limited leisure time available).

The Thanksgiving (or T-Day as I like to call it due to the sociocultural foundation surrounding the holiday) break this past week allowed me ample time to decompress, reflect, and finally paint. As mentioned in my earlier post, I’ve reached a road block in my creative process where I far too easily slip into an overly analytical state prior to creating. The dreaded analysis paralysis has kept me from starting projects due to the unnecessary over thinking related to potential subject matter, infinite amount of color palettes available, and general composition of said elements. Classic artist’s anxiety right? Maybe. I think it has more to do with the lack of free time I have. Since it’s a scarce resource right now, I get hung up on wanting to produce a piece I’m happy with since I’m unsure when I’ll be able to paint next.

That’s a longwinded way to arrive at the composition above. I’ve always been a fan of Afrobeat music. So I was in my car listening to some Fela Kuti and I thought about painting an African tribal mask. I quickly googled images related to African tribal masks and came across Hopi masks instead. The amazing pastel hues immediately caught my attention and I changed plans right on the spot. This selection was wholly haphazard and unintentional. What’s ironic is that I finished the painting (amazingly in 2 days) on Thanksgiving. I took a step back and reflected on the idea that maybe I subconsciously painted this to make a statement about the historical and tragic significance inherent in the holiday. Or it could have been sheer coincidence. Either way, I got it done and didn’t let overthinking get in my way.

Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise Flower)

With little time left these days to paint (and even less time to come up with ideas to paint), inspiration has become a luxury. So instead of wasting precious time on subject matter conceptualization, I looked to Swetha’s most recent post TRANSITION: A JOURNAL / PART THREE for inspiration.

Finding inspiration in her post wasn’t hard. Her multitude of drawings/entries reminded me to “just do it.” Analysis paralysis is real, and something I am learning to let go of. Looking at all her drawings/entries inspired me to just create (instead of getting hung up on developing a perfect concept or composition).

This is painting of a Bird of Paradise flower or Strelitzia.

Enjoy!

Ganesha Painting

Updated interpretation by the very thoughtful and talented Swetha:

At first glance, this Ganesha seems traditional in his form: He has large ears to symbolize the importance of absorbing knowledge, a broken tusk to symbolize the Oneness of all, an abundantly large belly, and feet that are both grounded in the material sphere, and raised towards the spiritual.

This Ganesha has four hands, each embodying divine qualities: His upper hands hold an axe to severe worldly attachments and a goad to guide a wavering mind. His lower hands are, in a sense, paths to harness his energy. One of his hands holds a conch shell, which symbolizes the start of prayer — as the Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha is the first deity one prays to. His raised hand is a comforting sign that provides protection to his devotees.
Despite the presence of these traditional elements, this Ganesha still gives off a deeper, unconventional vibe.

The artist’s familiarity with and gravitation towards Buddhist elements is rather apparent in his strokes and depiction of Ganesha’s crown, both of which lend an air of understatement that one sees more in Buddhist art than its Hindu counterpart.
While Hindu art acknowledges that Ganesha’s eyes are believed to be small, the most common depictions show large, expressive eyes. The artist’s rendition here, while besides the norm, seems to bestow Ganesha with the true sense of concentration that he possesses.

A particularly interesting element is the artist’s decision to make Ganesha hold his modaka with his trunk, as opposed to one of his hands. While this is not wrong by any means, it certainly is a rare depiction. This, combined with the aforementioned elements and overall aura of the piece, leads me to believe that its creation was a highly meditative process for the artist, with a greater focus on Ganesha as a guide away from negative mental habits than a destroyer of worldly obstacles. It appears to me that the artist has enough material abundance in his life, but is struggling spiritually.

The colors used in this painting, while unorthodox, certainly aid the symbolism behind the piece. The use of bright colors such as green and pink remind a devotee of Ganesha’s playful nature, and his position as the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Yet, despite the presence of this playful nature amidst the calm, muted blue tones, the omniscient power of Ganesha radiates off this piece. Perhaps it’s because of his pensive eyes, or his right-facing trunk, which some believe to represent a more spiritually-charged Ganesha. Whichever the reason, it’s clear that this Ganesha, while skirting the line between the traditional and unorthodox, emanates significant divine energy.

Karana Mudra

The Karana Mudra is said to expel demons and remove obstacles such as sickness or negative thoughts.

The obstacles in my life are usually perceived ones, fabricated and exaggerated by the depths of my mind’s imagination. I make use of this potentially destructive foe by turning it into an artistic ally. Instead of letting my negative thoughts get the best of me, I acknowledge them, sit with them, then use them for something positive.

This painting is a very literal symbol of protection from those negative thoughts that pop up from time to time in my life.

Ultra Violent

This piece is called ‘Ultra Violent.’I specifically chose the imagery to represent a very dark mood I was in.

Over the years, I’ve learned that you have to embrace all emotions. I used to try to ignore or suppress uncomfortable feelings. Distractions are temporary (like Netflix, drinking, or working out), and sooner or later you have to face whatever is bothering you. Instead of running away from the things that repel us, we must go towards what hurts.

Sitting with those icky emotions makes them less sticky and more temporary. It’s kind of like ripping off a bandaid. If you ignore the task of ripping it off, you may induce anxiety of the act. Instead, even though you know it will hurt, you just have to rip it off. Once you do, you realize that it wasn’t that bad.

Take sadness as an example. With this emotion you just have to sit with it and become comfortable with it. Instead of trying to pretend like your not sad, familiarize yourself with your current mood’s contours and textures. How does it feel? If it had a color, what color would it be? When have you felt this way before? Having an understating of these emotions will help define its limitations and make them more fleeting.

This is totally just my opinion of course. The painting above was inspired by an angry phase I was going through. I tapped into it and guess what? That feeling is now gone.

Lovers

I like love. It’s an interesting concept. Relationships are also very interesting. I’m especially intrigued by the concept of partner selection and monogamy.

For example, some people choose as a partner and up marrying someone from their own hometown without ever having lived in another city, state, or country. Compatibility is one facet of partner selection, which can be defined as shared set of mutual and/or complementary lifestyles, values, or interests.

Based on that very specific criteria, isn’t it kind of absurd to think that the person selected in your hometown is the most compatible individual for you (since it’s a matter of probability: less people you’re exposed to = less pool of potential compatible individuals)? One might argue that absolute compatibility isn’t the goal, but isn’t getting along a very crucial element to relationship success? Maybe it’s my assumption that compatibility equates to getting along, but it seems like people who share something have a vested interest in it and may be more inclined to protect it. Therefore, the more you have in common the more you will likely get along.

I find myself playing out these mental exercises from time to time. Love is an amazing topic to try to deconstruct because there are so many variables to consider. However, the above painting is not a meta analysis of love. It’s just my rendering of two images I found online, which I believe to be medieval in nature (I could be wrong). I felt the concept embodied the light pillowy feeling of love coupled with the stern seriousness of commitment, which is my perception of what relationships are.

Los Angeles Collage

I did this collage a while back. It’s a random assortment of imagery. I’m sure there’s some subconscious representation of how I feel in one or more of the images.

Los Angeles is a mixed bag of emotion for me. On the one hand, it’s my home. The place where I was born and raised, which essentially shaped who I am today. On the other hand, coming back and being immersed in change makes it seem like a foreign territory. Almost like an extended vacation of sorts. “Hotel California” comes to mind. A place where you can go, but never leave (in reference to memories that exist of things that once were). That’s obviously an over-dramatization, but life changes such as moving back or away from home are a pretty big deal.

“Adjusting” to life back in LA has been tricky. I’ve been in a bit of funk lately for erroneously thinking I could glide back into to the swing of things here. Instead of a NYC rude awakening, I got a chill SoCal morning call. As both wake you from your (hopefully) blissful slumber, neither is very pleasant. But I’m happy to have realized that the life I want is the life I’m willing to work for and not one that is miraculously going to fall from the sky.