Technique

The traditional practice of Alchemy had four stages. My technique mirrors this process.

1. Nigredo: Initiate chaos.
I usually begin with nothing at all in mind. The Overworld series is an exception where I have a conceptual image but proceed similarly. At this stage thinking is a hinderance. There are no studies or sketches done, oil paint is splattered about, in many thin layers. I continue adding random shapes until it has an appealing abstract quality with enough texture to induce pareidolia.

2. Albedo: Undertake purification.
I loosely define what begins to present itself, allowing the painting to paint itself (a type of scrying, perhaps.) I try never to lead, only to channel the subliminal into a visual manifestation, bringing forth details and shapes until the formless becomes form. Up to this point I appropriate the Taoist term “Wu Wei”, or actionless action. What I’m doing is not a new strategy, it has been called Surrealist Automatism as well.

3. Citrinitas: Cultivate emergence.
Eventually ideas crystalize. At this point I treat the painting in a surrealistic manner. Only now do I somewhat engage my rational mind and implement traditional notions of form, value, etc. I define the composition, render the objects I see hidden and create the image as a fleshed out concept culled from the depths of my subconscious. There are no rules, and if I began from an idea, as in The Overworld series, I no longer have any need for it. Those roots have grown into whatever it desired and I don’t look back.

4. Rubedo: Achieve wholeness.
Finally, there is a point where I can introduce my technical skills of realism to hone the image into a detailed painting. I transition from surrealism to a pseudo trompe-l’œil. This ties everything together and makes an image that looks completely rendered and designed even though it was mostly spontaneous. For me, a painting is a microcosm of transmutation: abstract shapes (base matter) into a vivid, surreal whole (gold).

Essentially I try to combine the spontaneity of abstract art with the creativity of surrealism and the detail of trompe-l’œil. I’ve always seen imaginary landscapes in abstract paintings and wondered what it would be like if they had been taken to a realistic conclusion (Max Ernst’s “The Eye of Silence” being an example of what I’m getting at.) For me, the ‘completing’ of my initial abstraction leads to a painting that remains ambiguous yet highly representational. This has always been my nature, looking into the negative space, but I fought it for many years. I had relied upon reference photos, careful planning and how things were ‘supposed to’ look. The point of my technique is to now only use my imagination if possible. I have little interest in copying the physical world anymore. When lucid dreaming I’m privy to amazingly detailed clarity which is far beyond our material existence; these places haunt me. The paintings are an attempt to translate the subconscious into our inferior corporeal reality, which can then be shared (Or maybe I just make weird pictures.)

I’m careful to keep the surface glass-smooth so I can enact alterations with ease; a willingness and ability to change course is essential. Plus I want the painting to be like a large Polaroid taken of a dream, it’s about the content not the brush texture. I paint in very thin layers, building up dozens of glazes and utilizing a lot of sfumato. I love the luminous quality of layered oil paint, there’s a depth that can’t be achieved otherwise. It’s a rewarding yet time consuming process, taking weeks, but like polishing an ancient mirror eventually all is reflected back. 

Themes

What do these paintings mean? That’s up to the individual; mystery gives life meaning. How I interpret them doesn’t matter, but here are some thoughts. I’ve noticed recurring symbols which are emergent in many of my images. The most obvious, to me, is the act of transmutation and metamorphosis (nothing is true, everything is permitted.) Also, creation versus destruction, celestial versus terrestrial, the primordial, playing with the notion of scale, circles and suns, organic life, dwellings, teeth, snakes or tentacles, etc.. I want to express the eternal vastness of the unknown, the alchemical and the ephemeral, to see something I have yet to see. To paraphrase William Blake, if the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear as it is, infinite. 

Any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me (phonetically that’s heath at yonaites dot com).