The painting processes in this research endeavour to study the artist identity of the artist through the exploration of consciousness. The basic components of what; where, when; how and why they take place will be described in the following applications, which form a personal account.
These processes have been chosen instead of other media because of the quality of paint's immediate and fluid response. Despite a background in ceramics, art paintings is where my passion lies.
The dimensions of each art painting will be uniform: 120 x 70x 5 cm. The media used will include oil paint, enamel, oil sticks, Black Japan stain, shellac, pastel, charcoal and ink. The primary artistic focus in this process will lie in the use of alternative materials in painting and in the use of alternative surfaces. Boundaries may be intentionally pushed through the use of construction materials to create aesthetics on surfaces not intended for this purpose.
When the Painting Will Take PlaceThe proposed plan involves painting every second Tuesday and every Thursday for a period of six weeks. This art painting will occur at night in two to three hourly timeslots.
Where They Will Take PlaceThe space will consist of a studio set-up in a lock-up garage. For the purposes of the research, the computer and reference materials will be set up on one side of a garage space, and the work bench with art painting materials on the other. I plan to be able to move quickly and freely between both.
How They Will OccurThe intention is to include a timetable of art painting processes, which will consist of certain times in the following months. Ideas of setting a limit on the painting time have been considered.
Dialogue with Art PaintingsThe personal dialogue processes approached in this research combine elements of Heuristic research, but allow for an individual account.
These processes are based on the internal search mechanisms present within the creative-self processes The processes relate to a conversation or dialogue that takes place between the researcher, artist and a higher consciousness of either the self, an artwork or other object studied closely. Many artists and art therapists have utilized these methods in their research and inquiry.
Why the Dialogue Will be Undertaken in This Manner
The dialogue process is intended to provide a different level of consciousness. It is anticipated that I will connect with my art paintings through the processes of dialogue. The dialogue may inform me on levels unavailable to me experientially.
What the Dialogue Will Comprise
This process is intended to encompass a journey into art painting. The aim is to literally enter into the art paintings through passages of different levels of consciousness. In order to make the space available to connect with these other levels of consciousness, the following will be utilized: indwelling; a search of the self through thought; meditation and contemplation. The insights may come through hearing the words in my mind, intuition, or new concepts emerging from or into internal frames of reference.
Where the Dialogue Will Take Place
This process is an internal one, while the external and inter-objective realities in my surroundings may have bearing on the internal mechanisms. The proposed dialogue will occur in the studio space designated for writing this research. The set-up of the computer on one side and the art paintings on the other is intentionally designed towards easy access to writing when dialogue occurs.
When the Dialogue Will Take Place
The method of dialogue within this research will be approached using a lack of structured timetable or schedule. As I have not attempted this process before, I am unsure of whether it will be able to fit into a time-frame. I am unsure of whether I can summon dialogue at will; or whether it will emerge in an indiscriminate manner.
How the Dialogue Will Occur
This is largely unable to be determined at this point in time. There is a commitment to a total immersion in the processes of this inquiry and it is likely that the dialogue will naturally emerge from the art paintings through channels due to the immersion process. It is anticipated that the creation of the unique personal space for communication with my art paintings will reveal and allow for documentation of how the process occurs.
Reflection on Art Paintings
Why the Reflection Will be Undertaken in This Manner
The reflection process formulates the basis for the intimate connectivity of the processes of art paintings and dialogue. It forms the fabric from which the evaluation cloth is cut. The sacred witness will allow the space and time to measure the experience and to dwell on the emergence of new information.
The reflection process aims to draw the art paintings and dialogue processes together and provide the stand-back viewpoint, indispensable to making art paintings and primordial self- inquiry.
What the Reflection Will Comprise
The reflection process in this research will comprise transpersonal processes as a method of self-inquiry. It will evoke notions of the witness. These reflection processes will present a unique witness account of the experience of art painting, the dialogue experience and the overall experiences.
The observations of thoughts, emotions, dreams, dialogue and art painting processes provide the foundation from which to evaluate the personal interior experience.
Where the Reflection Will Take Place
The reflection is anticipated to take place within the transpersonal self -this being wherever the art paintings and dialogue processes are taking place. They may take place in other areas of life, such as times of driving, walking, meditating and working.
When the Reflection Will Take Place
Much like the whereabouts of the reflection processes, the time-frame of this process encompasses all other processes in this research. It is predictable that I will bear witness to my art paintings and my dialogue processes. The witness will be present when I make the connective leaps in consciousness and when the intellectual synapses jump into action. Thus, the internal observer will have to be on duty at all times, knitting the components of my processes together. These observations can then be evaluated into a unified and presentable critique.
How the Reflection Will Occur
The reflection processes aim to transcend the art paintings and dialogue states of consciousness. Reflection is anticipated to occur through the watchful gaze of the transpersonal witness. I will endeavour to consciously manifest the witness during times of art painting and dialogue. This will involve dis-identifying with the art paintings and dialogue processes.
Findings of the Exploration Into the Artist Identity
The basic components of why, what, where, when and how investigated in the art paintings and dialogue and reflection applications can be located in the art paintings themselves and in some of the text and explanation of each of the art paintings on the website.
