Beyond the Void
Oil on Canvas
20" x 20"
2021
20" x 20"
2021
Artist Statement
The balance of the unconscious and consciousness is the key to transcendence. As imagery is the language of the unconscious, art, perhaps especially abstract art, provides a projective field in which consciousness can explore the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise in reaction to the image. By being present with these reactions, the meaning of the unconscious can be integrated, thus healing psychic wounds, offering insight and an opportunity towards enlightenment.
'Beyond the Void' is a 34 panel exploration of the spectrum between the unconscious and consciousness, depression and transcendence, void and enlightenment. The creation of this series offers an experiential illustration of the artist's graduate thesis "Expressive Awareness" that explores and eclipses C.G. Jung's construct of the psyche, the teachings of mindfulness according to the Satipatthana sutta, and the creative arts process. 'Beyond the Void' is an attempt to isolate and identify the transitional stages between opposites in order to allow a greater mindfulness of psychic phenomena. By isolating a sense of movement into still consideration, the subsequent insight allows greater understanding and thus greater opportunity to fulfill the Self.
'Beyond the Void' is a 34 panel exploration of the spectrum between the unconscious and consciousness, depression and transcendence, void and enlightenment. The creation of this series offers an experiential illustration of the artist's graduate thesis "Expressive Awareness" that explores and eclipses C.G. Jung's construct of the psyche, the teachings of mindfulness according to the Satipatthana sutta, and the creative arts process. 'Beyond the Void' is an attempt to isolate and identify the transitional stages between opposites in order to allow a greater mindfulness of psychic phenomena. By isolating a sense of movement into still consideration, the subsequent insight allows greater understanding and thus greater opportunity to fulfill the Self.
Graduate Production Thesis
Expressive Awareness: A Psychological Integration of Mindfulness and the Expressive Arts
The tradition of Theravāda Buddhism, the construct of the psyche as explicated by C. G. Jung, and the creative arts process all mutually generate insight into the state of being. By engaging in any of the three traditions, an individual may find a transformative path to integrate all aspects of the psyche thereby reaching enlightenment, individuation, and creation, respectively. When used in tandem, these traditions coalesce into a holistic route to self-awareness, transcendence, and wholeness. This thesis explores each of these three disciplines individually as well as the amplified effect of their intersection. The heuristic methodology of this thesis culminates in a creative production that illustrates the integrative effect.