These faces come to me again and again. They fall somewhere between african masks, androids and religious icons. I find them to be pleasantly asymmetrical and letting the color bleed over the line in big, blocky strokes is a fun way to work.
I have a couple of these long, rectangular sketchbooks and it's interesting to me how the shape and size seems to dictate the type of image that goes in them. I guess it's similar to what I've heard poets say about poetic forms, that there is some other discipline activated by working in a specific format. The rigor of the form forces you to realize your vision in a different way. I wish that in my case this tempering led to more dynamic works, but if nothing else they are always different than my usual and that keeps things interesting.
I guess what I am constantly working at in my drawings is somehow trying to convey the inner state as a symbolic outer form. I think of the pre-historic cave art found around the world (especially in France and Africa) where the elemental aspects of life are rendered in symbols. I lay no claims to that level of clarity and beauty, it's just my attempt to enter that slip-stream and partake of that energy.
I always love looking at the titles of Occult or Esoteric books from the 30's-60's. The earlier books tend to have these very declamatory titles that promise direct knowledge of hidden mysteries. It's either that or they have inventive "Orientalist" names such as The Kybalion or The Book of Dzyan. The essence of so many of these books is that some little known but life-changing knowledge is about to come your way. I'd never presume to say that these were false promises. I'd like to think that waiting in some dusty bookstore or library there is a tome of soul-shaking wisdom to be discovered by each of us. The, for lack of a better phrase, sacred impulse seems to be hard-wired into humanity. We seek out experiences and engage in practices designed to both reveal and interact with forces larger than our lives. I'm all for this multiplicity of paths. I figure that as long as one isn't harming others and maintains their commitments in the more mundane world what's the harm? I'm deeply fascinated by the myriad spiritual paths people take. I also find that the artifacts (books, art, music,etc.) they leave on the path are vital expressions of the creative soul at work. While the true "secrets" of the pyramids might never be revealed, it's interesting to see people seeking them out.
