Is Abstract Art relevant? A personal perspective

I could give you my short answer but I feel a longer one is necessary, and, in this case, is in two parts:

1. From the artists point of view of the painting.
2. From the viewers point of view of the painting.

As a painter of abstracts my relationship with the painting extends further than just moving pigment around a canvas. Neither do I consider abstract work - well, my work at least - to happen spontaneously, or unconsciously, or happen only during the time it takes to complete the piece.

I would even go as far to say that what I do does not lie purely within the confines of space and time (although the finished picture might).

If I look deeper at what I do then an important question arises ... why do I do it?

The answer is difficult to verbalise but I paint in this way ... because I must!

It is almost like a compulsion, or habit - I will explain:

Like most of us the life of the artist is a life of faith - faith in what I conceive; faith in what I produce; faith in what I show.

Every day I am observing, making notes, sketching, thinking, and, of course, applying paint to the canvas. I also look at the work of other artists for inspiration, information, and the keening of my own sense of self-critique.

However, for me the most crucial, the most dramatically vibrant, and sometimes the profoundly elusive part of conceiving a work is right at the very beginning. It is here where I tentatively, nervously, seek to tread in the footsteps of angels ... and desperately try to avoid those dark scorched patches upon my selected path. This may sound a bit like the pathetic rantings of a hopeless romantic, but what I am saying is as close to my truth as I can possibly explain. ... And I AM talking about spiritual paths.

So, here the fun begins.

I am hoping to take you on one of my journeys that will lead us to the beautiful darkness of the obscure philosophy of nothing, through the dangerous but profound marsh lands of religious spitirtuality, and on up to the slopes of the inexplicable heights of discovery.

Immaculate Conceptions

Before I draw up any kind of image, idea, or scribble I tend to look inside myself to see where I am at, and what is happening "in there".

I should briefly explain at the same time I am unceasingly curious as to where I have come from, and more importantly, where I believe I am going to. It is necessary for me to use the word "believe" because here is one of the first stammering steps of faith ... my own personal journey. This is a journey where I discover the possibility that there may be more than one of me ... sort of.

Many times I have found myself "listening" to a voice within me - not the voice of God or anything like that, but certainly a voice that does not at first appear to be me. Over the years I have often found myself in conversation - with myself ... as though I was myself and someone else at the same time. Mad as it may seem, I have since heard that such a phenomenum is quite common. But what is not well known is that a few people believe that there is indeed a deeper person within the body - almost seperate from it. These people call it the soul.

When I first heard of this (and I did not truly hear about it until quite recently) I began a study into the potential relationship between my material body and the immaterial soul. And the more I read the more it excited me.

There appears to be the material body - the one we all know and love - born into a material world, with material instincts, impulses, and the potential to do great things ... like walking, communicating, riding bicycles, innovating ... the list is almost endless. The body and mind, combined together, seem to be able to perform superhuman feats ...

However, there also appears to be a different body, one that is sometimes vaguely referred to as the inner self, or deeper self. This body also is born into the material world but its potential is stiffled by such things as religious intolerance, it is silenced by scientific bigotry, and its existance is repeatedly and unquestionably denied.

Reading about this has moved me to start my own private investigation as to whether or not I can accept the possibility of such an "intruder" in my life, and if I can what kind of relationship will there be.

At this moment I am at the inquisitive stage ... and here lies another rickety step of faith. In order for me to gain a better understanding of my soul I have to come to the point of deciding to believe in such a thing or not. This is not such a big deal - it is a little like the scientist using a theory to route out a truth. It is a kind of organic scenario "lets say this exists ..." ... if I can accept that then I can move on.

... And move on I have. I can now quite happily say that not only do I believe that my soul exists within me, but I have also come to the conclusion that the soul is much more relevant and active in my every day living here on this little planet than I have been led to believe. In fact it appears that my soul alone has the ability to continue to exist after my material body has rotted away. This then changes the emphasis in my life - the realisation that what I do on earth can have tremendous implications ... somewhere else!

... To be continued.

... And while I write that you might like to see some examples of my work - abstract and surreal - on www.ablot.com