Awe, Ecstasy, and the Sacred
My life and my work have been a search for ecstatic moments in which the sense
of awe breaks into our consciousness. It's not difficult to experience awe. It
happens frequently when I'm engaged in creative work, such as painting outdoors,
developing photos, working with a model, or playing with a group of musicians.
Awe can also strike us while talking with a stranger, driving down a highway,
staring into a fire, reading a book, or participating in a class.
This experience of awe is the experience of the sacred. These holy moments
come to us when we're open to wonder. The main requirement is that we not try
to pull the same rabbit out of the same hat over and over. Inspiration
can be understood as the work of "daimons," a Greek term which means "an attendant
power or spirit." The daimons refuse to be routinized. They--and thus inspiration--tend
to pop up in fresh places and in new ways.
Did I Ever Tell You
About Dennis?
plaster, cardboard box,
cloth
Some encounter the sacred in traditional religious paths. For me, creativity
itself is a powerful and reliable path to the holy. After all, to be creative is
to be open to the different, the new, or the forgotten and ignored.
Today we tend to assume that religion, spirituality, and creativity should
be upbeat, bright, happy, positive experiences. This hasn't always been the case;
previous generations understood "awe" to mean "terror" or "dread." Awe is an emotion
which combines dread, veneration, and wonder.
My work honors the dark and painful as well as the bright and happy. Painful
experiences can prod us toward maturation. In this way, failure, misery, and anguish
can have positive effects. Some of my works are scenes from this dark ripening.
Some are more like dancing on tiptoe.
Artist's Statement
Awe, Ecstasy, and the Sacred
An Experimental Approach to Living and Art-making
Contemporary and Postmodern
Artist as Missionary
Artist's Statement for the Figure Paintings
Artist's Statement for Landscape Paintings
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