Defining My Mission

One of the benefits of being at a painting residency, besides having ample time to work on my art, is that I have the freedom from distractions to ponder on why I paint what I paint. Of course, I had a general idea already, but I never really tried to articulate a coherent reason for what I do. This first week at the residency got me really thinking about my art and why I do it.

I have had a long history with art, starting out as a child. I was fascinated with animals and nature. I remember as an adolescent spending days and days of my summer exploring the outdoors and painting watercolors of birds and animals. Writing also started to interest me then and I wrote and illustrated stories about animals and fantasy worlds that curious children could access through strange means: like a hole in the ground, a secret door in an attic or through a hidden cave.

My undergraduate and graduate years ended up being devoted to writing. As a philosophy major I found myself interested in the idea of writing moral fiction. I started graduate school with the goal that I would write fiction focusing on issues of morality. I wanted to write fiction that taught lessons and contributed something beneficial to society. This led me to fairy tale literature and to the fascinating world of cultural history, subversion of authority, oppression, gender issues and mythology.

Midway through graduate school the need to paint resurfaced. This need has grown more insistent with each passing year. Writing still has a place in my life, but it holds second place to visual art. Writing often holds a framework for my art, but visual art is true expression for me.

I feel like I have come nearly full circle in relation to my art. I started out fascinated by nature and drawing birds and animals. I was curious about exploring other worlds, those secret worlds that were often just out of reach from the world we knew. Then I went off in other directions for a while exploring other traditions or forms of art like fashion design, sewing, ceramics, jewelry making, digital art, and Asian brush art, to name a few. Only to return again to nature and my curiosity of exploring other worlds.

In Buddhism there was a teaching that said when you start out you see that a Mountain is a Mountain, then you observe that a Mountain is not a Mountain, but in the end you learn that a Mountain is a Mountain again. I have returned to artwork about nature, but it is through a different way of seeing and being in the world.

Myth has become an important influence, as is the current situation with human society and the natural world. I believe reconnecting both to myth and the cycles and rhythms of the natural world are keys to a healthy society and planet. Understanding that there are realms of being that are beyond our collectively accepted reality is also important for our well-being. I think having lost touch with this knowledge has left us wandering around in the dark, clumsily destroying nearly everything in our path, fumbling in search of a light with which to see again.

I understand the purpose of my art is to explore myth and nature and the interplay of the two. I hope to revitalize myth and create an interest in a renewed relationship to myth and the natural world. Through the use of research, observation, vision-work and meditation I create my art. I am not interested in illustrating myth, nor do I want to simply replicate or attempt to restore the myth to some non-existent original. Rather I try to connect to the living essence of a myth and paint from that source.

I don’t believe that there is a true original version of a particular mythic archetype. I think that a myth forms and evolves from archetypal matrices, which are then built and constructed with symbols of a particular culture and the natural world. I find most “restored” myths empty and drained of life. A true enlivening of a myth comes from tapping into the universal source and is ignited by imagination and fueled by symbolism.

I focus primarily on Celtic and pre-Celtic mythology, mainly due to an ancestral connection, but I believe I will eventually explore myths of other cultures in my work. When I work on a piece, I meditate on or follow a vision influenced by a particular mythic figure for symbol. I often use a natural object like a rock, tree, ripples on water, rust on metal, etc. as a vehicle to tap into the energy or consciousness related to the myth.

The first result is usually an abstract piece--which reflects energy over form. Often the myth still speaks strongly to me, so I develop another piece focusing more on symbolism, (personal, cultural and universal symbols) this work is usually more representational.

As my art continues to develop, I hope that my skills and ability will be sufficient to share my discoveries of the world of myth and teach of the necessities of a balanced relationship with nature. I believe ultimately that the artist’s role is to provide a service, to guide and to teach something about the world we live in or could be living in. That is my hope and wish for the art that I bring into the world.

DoAn

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2011 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

Hallowe'en: The ending and the beginning

Over the past year year, much of my art has focused on exploring our relationship with the natural world. As a result, I have discovered both fascinating things about the earth and frightening things how we treat it. We have come to a time where we face the very real possibility of global catastrophe because of our collective disregard for the earth and the cycles of nature. Many of us (including myself) are starting adjust our lifestyles by reducing waste and conserving energy and I believe it is a step in the right direction. However, in addition to these efforts, I have decided to go a bit deeper. I chose this Halloween to begin relating and connecting to the earth by following the seasonal and lunar cycles. I believe by tuning into the cycle of the earth, I will find myself becoming more psychologically aware of the needs of the earth as well as more harmonized with the energy of seasons. I suspect that by having been separated from these natural rhythms and cycles, I have also become disconnected from the earth, from others and myself as well.

The reason I chose Halloween to begin this new way of being in the world is that traditionally it is the time when the world (the Northern Hemisphere) enters the dark of the year. This is not regarding the sun’s cycle, which is followed by the solstices and the equinoxes, but rather the seasonal cycle. Halloween marks the time when autumn turns into winter. The leaves have fallen from the trees, most of the harvest has been gathered, any blackberries left on the brambles are no longer good to eat, and frosts get heavier and colder. In the Celtic world-view this time marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The ancient Celtic and the Hindu systems (and I believe many others as well) understand that the dark precedes the light, so a time of darkness must begin a natural cycle. Consider that many of the popular holidays and festivals are celebrated on the eve (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, All Soul’s Eve, etc.).

I am going to experience the energy of the season, by using this time to celebrate the end of the yearly cycle and the beginning of the next. It will be a time to reflect on all the things that I did and did not like about the past year and decide on what should be changed or implemented to benefit the new year.

In ancient tradition, this transition from the old year into the next existed outside of time. I believe this came from following a lunar calendar in which there were a few extra days (five I believe) that didn’t quite fit into a annual system. Those remaining days where held over for this time of year where chaos was given time to rule. People played pranks, dressed up, and generally acted silly or crazy. I suspect this is partly where the tradition of dressing in costumes and celebrating “cabbage night” may have originated. Another belief at this time was that the line that separated the physical world from the Otherworld disappeared. People could commune with their ancestors and those who had passed on before them. By honoring and giving thanks to those who helped to shape them and gave them what they had, they could better understand their own lives.

So tonight at 5:55pm EST (the time of sunset where I live) I will light a candle and take a moment to reflect on the past year, give thanks to those who came before me, and acknowledge the changes that I will need to implement in order to make the coming year beneficial for all who share this beautiful place we call home.

Happy Hallowe’en, All Soul’s Eve, Samhain, Autumn into Winter, etc.

DoAn

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DoAn Art is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the purposes of DoAn Art must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 


All artwork and text © Copyright 2005-2011 DoAn Art (Antony Galbraith) unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Antony Galbraith.

The Raven: Healing and Initiation

Recently, I have been having several dreams featuring ravens. This painting represents an image from one of those dreams. This was one of the only images that I could paint as a representational image as the rest of the dreams are very abstract. I am working on attempting a painting exploring the more abstract dream imagery.

After doing research into Raven mythology, I found I had gathered enough information to create a lifetime of paintings! There are so many wonderful stories from many many cultures dealing with the Raven. You can be sure that you will be seeing much more of the Raven from me in the future. In the meantime, here is a description of just the small bit of info that I have worked into this painting.

The Raven symbolizes the dark and difficult aspects of life, which is a part of life we often misunderstand and rarely effectively deal with. The dark aspects are not bad or evil, as it is necessary to go through a process of darkness in order to emerge in the light. Dark comes before light, healing is preceded by illness, the storm eventually transforms to calm and so on. The Raven reminds us of the need for this balance, and that without accepting the full integration of the cycle of dark and light, we cannot truly heal.

The Raven is also a messenger between two worlds: the living world and the twilit Otherworld or spirit world. By connecting these two worlds, the Raven initiates us into a new way of being. The Raven travels from this world to the next; accessing the darkest regions bringing back visions and instructions for the seeker and the healer. Often, before advancing in any spiritual growth, one must sacrifice or let go of old ways of being. The Raven gives us insight into what old patterns must die in order to make way for the new.

In this painting, the Raven flies at twilight, the time when the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest. It flies over an ancient megalithic mound, where one can access the Otherworld. I didn't paint the Raven feathers simply black, but are actually made of layers of blues, violets and greens. I did this to symbolize that all possibilities exist within the void of darkness, just waiting to emerge. In Eastern and Celtic traditions the Raven is a solar symbol. In my dream the Raven flew beneath a full moon, which I have interpreted here as the night sun, illuminating the landscape. But, traces of the setting sun are still visible in the horizon and limning the edge of the mound and distant trees and hills.

I am by no means and authority on the Raven mythos. Feel free to interpret your own meanings, and, please share them here if you like. It is always fascinating to hear how others interpret such powerful archetypes.

DoAn

(The Raven: Healing and Initiation, 5 x 7", ink on textured clayboard)