A Response to Chapter 16 From C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. In the final chapter of the Last Battle the concluding book in The Chronicles of Narnia, the character’s journey deep into the unknown. It is an unknown that is simultaneously new and familiar; an exploration of something they have known before yet it grows and changes, and they itch to go deeper. “Further up and further in!” C.S. Lewis takes us on a journey that invites readers to dive deeper into themselves. This is perhaps the most realistic metaphor for the artistic process that I can conceive. As artists our ideas start in the familiar, a concept derives from an experience or inspiration but to stop there is bad art. We must go “further in”! To explore and expand and idea until it is something new far greater than we could have imagine at the start. The very best ideas, well they grow and grow until we are no longer who we were when we started. I believe that the most successful art is that which stirs our souls to perceive ourselves and the world around us differently, revealing truths that make us question. My goal as an artist is just that. The excerpt from C.S. Lewis offers artists and creative minds more than a metaphor. His writing paints a vivid visual picture to draw on. The Last Battle contains ideas that show creativity and imagination that should inspire anyone in an age where producing new and original ideas is a challenge. Children are unencumbered by their lack of knowledge which gives them the freedom to believe all things are possible so they try everything and believe anything. Therefore, what they can imagine is unlimited. The Chronicles of Narnia is filled with childlike imaging. Art is only limited by what we can conceive. I hope that like C.S. Lewis I can reduce those limits to create something no one else has ever thought of, ideas and work that is new and different. The possibilities are endless. “Further up and further in!” Inspiration...Artist Unknown. Source Pinterest. The unique use of brush stroke and texture gives this painting a unique form. This expansive landscape seen by few humans is "A view from Gokyo Ri in the Khumbu region of the Nepalese Himalayas at altitude of around 5000m (Credit: Tom Hugh-Jones / BBC NHU 2016)"I love the idea of the unexplored and the unseen in the context of both people and the world. Relief Sculpture from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.. Artist unknown. This sculpture captures so much detail and emotion and not only utilized but is intentional in its use of the space. Work in Progress
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An Immodest Proposal (A reaction to Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal") Starving and alone the impoverished masses, Trod on by the greed of indifferent upper classes. Death’s not a comfort when it stands in your door Waiting for illness to take the untreated poor. Cry out for the homeless cold in the streets While we sleep in comfort under warm sheets. Cry out for the babies who are easy to kill, If it makes things easier, we foot the bill. Cry out for the unwanted the old and the new If we put them in “homes” we can forget them too. Where is compassion when someone’s needing a drink Yet, far is the well and there is no sink. We sit in our homes and watch the news, We see the horrors but inaction we choose. Rise up for the people we cannot see They are far across the world but deserve to be free, Rise up for those in our families and towns Share kindness and compassion by being around. Rise up for all people who are needing a hand Through love and through action lets take a stand! InspirationThe detailed descriptions of expansive landscapes in the Two Towers are as immersive to the reader as I hope my painting will be to the viewer. Work in Progress... |
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