design 02
October 2023 – acrylic on unstretched canvas – 50″ x 65″
animation
audio album
notes
While working on this painting, I definitely felt the various geometric patterns forming analogies with my thoughts during alpha state. So certain geometric patterns seem to match up with certain thoughts. This happened a couple of times after a long day of painting. I have not experienced this with painting before but it makes perfect sense. I cannot remember what the particular thoughts and forms were though – those kinds of thoughts are quite slippery but the sense of connection was unmistakable and deeply meaningful but of a totally different origin. The connections are quite poetic – I think we all have had them haven’t we? Alpha between waking and sleeping thoughts? – very elusive.
Another insight I obtained while working on this piece was the sense of a spiritual progression from one level of illumination and awareness to another. With the design resting horizontally, beginning at the top or the bottom is a very simple regular pattern – this is like the simple drumming or mantra one chants when beginning a meditation session. Moving upwards to the next ‘level’ of the design, the pattern becomes more elaborate as the person moves in a deeper level of meditation. The third level, the same. Finally the person recreating the design arrives a the fourth level, the centre of the pattern, the only part of the design that is not duplicated across the centre line, where there is what looks to be a kind of pattern of light emanating from the design – perhaps a final destination, a final state of complete illumination? Denoting each level is a boundary line, possibly signifying the boundaries one must overcome to reach the next level of awareness. The boundary lines surrounding the centre, ‘destination’ are particularly elaborate perhaps suggesting that the final boundary to total illumination is the most challenging to overcome.