Art can take a lot of time to make. What should one occupy one’s mind with during that time? Does an artist need to think about each brush stroke? Or does the creation of art become intuitive?
If art making becomes intuitive rather than thought-based — and to me that sounds appealing — what should become of word-based thought when one is working? Is it better to think about something else, to distract oneself with music, a book on CD?
This is something I’ve been thinking about while painting. What do you think about?
Depends upon where in the project you are. If you’re making aesthetic and structural decisions, then you will concentrate on the task at hand. If, on the other hand, you are carrying out the dictates of your previous work, then utter thoughtlessness is an option. If your empty mind is a happy one, then you are cleared to land. Unhappy – then go around for another approach.
I agree with Jay: there are many different stages. I find satisfaction in consciously working out “problems,” whether while capturing photographs or in later processing, and also in discovering at some point that I’ve done something unconsciously that really works. I don’t normally try to get into a particular state, it just happens.
For more on the topic, Mark Illingworth has posted previously about his music-entangled meditative state while painting, and Doug Plummer wrote on his altered state of consciousness.
Karl and Steve:
It’s not exactly the same sand box, but there is something here of previous discussions in which folks have kicked around the concept/process relationship.
One often sees the term “flow” attached to this subject. It can be described as that occasion where you now realize that you worked through dinnertime. Even now, in my retirement, I have a residual case of clock-watching. To be released from this condition is a fond wish and sometimes accomplished – but not often enough.
Hey Karl,
I always crank up the electronic music while I work. I dance around, I sing along — I have a ton a fun! But with this heat lately, I’ve been taking it down a few notches b/c I don’t have air-conditioning!
When I work on a piece I always think of the inspiration for the piece. Whether it is a thought a feeling or a specific image that came to mind. While the end result does not always match the original thought or image it does keep it close to what was intended.
For instance the other day I was working off some painful issues. The end result was rather fragmented, but it showed the feeling behind the piece rather well.
I’d be kicking myself in the butt if I didn’t mention that I also Don’t think while working. Is that odd? I just get so focused and determined that sometimes, I don’t even breathe…!
Hi Everyone, and thanks Steve for the reference.
When I paint I’d say my mind totally merges with the music and follows the bass, the treble the tone and mood etc.. I think about what I am feeling from the music and sense colour and form and motion with the waves of sound. This brings movement to my brushes.
For me the music opens the doorway to my artistic thoughts so that they emerge on the canvas. The more I do this, the more it affects my style – and my work has now evolved fast as I tune more into music!
I don’t try and think about anything, I concentrate on the emotion I feel and seek to translate this onto the canvas.
Mj Illingworth:
I’m sure that you are tired of hearing people relate your working method to synesthesia – but you have my attention.
Jay
I am always grateful of intertest and recognition of my work.
I do not know if my method is synesthesia, all I know is that I just paint. I can’t help myself from painting when listening to music. When I hear music in my car or at home I can’t wait to paint as ideas of colour appear to my mind.
There’s a lot of music waiting to open up my art even further.
MJ:
You may find the synesthesia premise of interest as your strong relationship of sounds to colors is most suggestive of it.
Synesthesia is not all that uncommon and involves a kind of crossover effect. I’m no expert and descriptions on the web will be more accurate and exhaustive than any meager effort on my part to explain it.
Thanks Jay.
Yes I have some understanding of synesthesia after it was first mentioned to me some time ago, and it’s good to know I’m not too stange! It would be good to pull together an exhibition of artists who all work in this way.
I’d welcome you to contact me if you have any thoughts about my paintings.
MJ
Such a show would indeed be interesting. A lot of parameters would have to be addressed as I’m sure that synesthesia is a complex phenomenon and doesn’t always announce itself in a clear-cut manner. For example, I mentioned synesthesia on the basis of your statements. Your work, if I’ve seen it properly, is very much about vivid color relationships and accords with your description of how you go about it. However, minus your statements, I doubt if synesthesia would have occurred to me. I would wonder, in that connection, if there are any independent and clear-cut manifestations that would flag a work of art as being of such origins.
Jay
I mention the audio journey to be open about my creative process, whereas the paintings are not intended to be a full reflection of the music; I usually have a subject matter as a starting point and then use music to bring out the emotions induced by what I hear as I paint. In effect I use music to give another dimension to my palette or tools. The result is then for the art to portray it’s own emotions and feelings to the viewer – and each viewer will no doubt have their unique reactions and thoughts.
I guess that any artists with an aspect of synesthesia will work in a wide range of styles and subject matter so it would be interesting to pull together an exhibition of such works.
Jay
I meant to add that the “clearcut manifestations” would appear different for each artist as I guess the intepretation of sound will vary for each person. To add to the complexity, the same bass note for example could feature in two separate pieces of music yet due to the difference in overall composition of the two tunes the effect of how the bass resonates will bring a different result on the canvas – well that’s the case for me as it’s the overall mood and emotion arising from a musical compostion that I tune into.
This recent discussion is fascinating. Somebody should do a post about synesthesia. I wonder if it is more common among artists? The Wikipedia article on Synestheia in art has a link to a list of synesthete artists, but the only one I recognized was David Hockney.
MJI;
You may remember that a while ago, I recommended Lukas Ligeti‘s music to you. His father György Ligeti (1923-2006) is on Wikipedia’s list of synesthetes
Jay,
I am glad to have learned from you about synesthesia. I now can rationalize why I could not keep up with my mother adding columns of numbers. It is not because I am stupid but because associating colors with numbers – grapheme synesthesia – slowed me down.
I used to blame the colored blocks with numbers from my childhood. But, now I know that I have a ‘neurological condition’ that I can think of putting to use.
Birgit
Thanks I do remember, and must check out the music further.
The more I think about it the connections for me are first music. Then music brings up emotions, feelings, moods and insights. It is then these emotions, feelings, moods and insights that bring the clour shape and form – they pour out onto the canvas for me,. I am no expert, but it seems that this is a different dimension to a direct association of colours with numbers or chords.
To summarise, I hear, feel, paint.
MJI: I will learn more about synaesthesia.
Birgit – perhaps I should too. Then again I like to let the intuitivity of my process develop naturally.