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Phantasmagorias, it's natural

Updated: Jun 25, 2023


When talking about imagined realities, thoughts about good and evil will arise. Some see surrealism with a negative light. I wouldn't want you to have a negative connotation to my art, which I'd fear if I used the synonym to surreal - phantasmagoric. Phantasmagoria is a visual of constantly changing illusions, shapes, real or imagined, like in a dream state. 18th century European artists would show these to an audience, appealing to multiple human senses. The man who made phantasmagorias popular, even more so than cinema today, had a horror theme. A "magical lantern" would project strange and creepy apparitions for entertainment, wheeled around by the projectors, moving the images across the venue. Click the following link for an interesting read, mainly describing the eccentric Robert Etienne-Gaspard's influence and efforts:




I dug into a little art history and theory to find that "Naturalistic Surrealism" was coined to describe art created from dreams, which has been a process I've used once, based on the absurdity of a dream I thought it would be funny to pull this sketch out every once and a while to remember.


quick sketch of described dream

Depiction of my dream: Godzilla was at my childhood home and he urgently wanted to paint my car.


There are two categories of surrealism: veristic and autonomial. Veristic surrealists have an image in their subconscious, and as they work it is revealed, so that the true meaning and purpose of the image is understood. I relate to this style with a lot of my work.


An #automatic approach is to let the hand wander across the canvas without the conscious choosing it's path. This is similar to my process for "Wandering Mind'' (below). It is close to abstract, but with some recognizable forms.


A yellow seemingly spinning orb is centered with many stacked colors expanding out.  It's positioned between two shaded half circles and crossed with two dark beams.
"Wandering Mind"


 


Summer is simmering down. When will the leaves turn? I'm grateful for those of you here. What's else is happenin'?



I'm gathering tools like packing materials for sending out original paintings, a photo light box, and a Cricut. The light box will simplify the process of capturing the perfect image. Prior to using this, I would rely on clouds being present as they are the natural filter for sunlight.


A Cricut can be used for several things but I am foremost using mine for making stickers, cost efficiently. These resemble printers and make cuts in any pattern and on most fabrics/mediums.


Wrapping stones are coming along. Below is my little collection. I'm looking forward to see what these beauties will look like complete as wearable functional jewelry.


My pile of small gemstones including a tiny clay elf like figure holding a tiny crystal. I replaced the background with a deep green rainforest overhead view


I may throw some photos onto prints in the future. I have many nature related pictures just sitting around in desktop folders. Let them be free in fresh air. Below are a few of many from mushrooms, bees, mountains, and seas. Travels and nature make #photography easy.



A bumble bee collects pollen on a tall purple flower (ID TBD - comment if you know! from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.)


Photograph I took of an old brick warehouse building, pink large blooming (roses I think?) flower bush, white bench in front, and paved straight bike trail with grass and saplings planted ahead. Sunny day in summer.

Sun captured emitting nice straight sunrays through a late november hike amongst hardwood trees, yellow and shadows.  it is setting and is a centered focal point


Digital collage editing is also something I like to mess with at times. See example below:



my mountain bike is right in front of me diagonally entered on the left, an added mountain and pine trees are on the background horizon, ground is coated with fallen leaves, my right shoe is up on the bench im on. shot from my perspective and colorized in a mostly orange-red hue with a couple block edits where it is black and white.


Thank you for reading! See you next time, naturally? :)


Ruby

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