LOOKING OUT THE WINDOWS

Another Landscape Of Everything oil on linen 55 x 80 cm

 

Do you like Jeremy Clarkson? I do. Love his show Top Gear! For those who may not know, and there will be some who don't [I have them in my family], Clarkson is a popular, entertaining and knowledgeable presenter and reviewer of cars. You can find out more about Clarkson at  TOPGEARBOX.COM's Who Is Jeremy Clarkson?

 

The reason I love Top Gear and Clarkson's written reviews is that I am on, what is transpiring to be, a multiple year search for THE right new car. I started looking about 8 years ago, when my car was about 14 years old. That's right, it is now nearly 22.

 

 

PACKING PAINTINGS 

 

My car...is...a...Volvo station wagon. AND, I love it because it has plenty of room for my paintings. I can easily carry my 120 x 160cm paintings in the back, as well as my 90 x 180cm ones. Anything longer than 180cm goes on the roof racks...only for short distances...no open highway driving...and yes I wrap them tight. I can pack my car with an entire exhibition of variously sized paintings...around 24 of them! 

 

 

 

 

So....I want a car that carries my paintings, but as the years have passed, station wagons and many SUVs and 4 wheel drives have shrunk. PLUS, the designers have sloped their rear ends, so that the inside back space is dramatically diminished. WHY, OH WHY?! My Volvo has a strong square back and I can stack and stack...easily. But, even Volvo has taken to sloped backs in their later model cars and SUVs!

 

 

NOW TO MORE PHILOSOPHICAL MEANDERINGS

 

In Jeremy Clarkson's vehicle review in the Weekend-End Australian A Plus 4-5 May [page 15] he wrote about a journey he made in a 1999 BMW 5281wagon. The journey was across Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. He made a strong argument for not giving up on your old car! Hey Jeremy I haven't!

 

He made another short remark that made me think and giggle.

 

He wrote about the 1999 BMW:

 

Yes, it wasn't equipped with other modern features such as parking sensors, but I solved that when manoeuvring by simply looking out the windows.

 

Well, I had to laugh. I tell my children that people have to be careful not to abdicate their brains to technology because come the apocalypse [natural disaster, space debris hitting an important satelite or whatever] when GPS systems, computers etc etc stop working, people won't have the practical skills to survive...OR... even think to simply look out the windows, literally and metaphorically! I get told...Mum you're so weird...! Yes, but I can parallel park, without parking sensors....first go!

 

I may be weird, but if people don't look out the windows what skills, of all kinds, are we losing? And, from an artist's point of view what will we miss and what will we have to do to get people to look at our work? I imagine a future where people 'look' at 'art' with media devices imbedded into their glasses... or even implants, while their driverless car sweeps across landscapes that no-one sees. I suspect short-sightedness [literal and metaphoric] will be a problem...but maybe only if people think, or are lead to believe, they do need to look out the windows. Conspiracy?

 

And, what about not needing to look in the rear vision mirror...now that's also a powerful metaphor!

 

Regular readers know of my fascination with perspective, distance and cosmology. But, I sense a collision beween dextrous visioning of perspective and a myopic romance with the kind of technology that purports to be 'helping' by making it seem unnecessary for us to look out the windows.

 

In an age where cosmological research is discovering more and more about the close and far distances of the Universe [Multiverse] a population afflicted with myopia will not be a great asset! Navel gazing never has been! What would be preferable is a dextrous ability to see multiple perspectives...even simultaneously. No, not the driverless car kind of propramming, but a human capacity that embraces all aspects of imagination and practicability. The kind of capacity that stretches boundaries in all directions. That's why my painting Another Landscape of Everything heads this post! And, my painting Landscape of Everything ends this post.

 

The image of someone sitting in a driverless car, not ever having to look out the windows [which are probably tinted black anyway] is a powerful metaphor. AND imagine if there are a number of people in the car...all being 'entertained' by technological devices, imbedded or not. No-one talks, no-one looks out the windows...the physical boundaries of the car are obvious and emblematic ...as are the imaginational ones. The screen is mistaken as a window. The boundaries are crushing.

 

And now, here's a conspiracy. Imagine a time in the far distant future, when humans need to leave dying Earth to find another habitable home. Up until that point in time, those that do not know to look out the windows have been content to live a virtual life via some kind of screen. At the time of departure they virtually leave, whilst those who practise perspective...looking out the windows...are safely propelled towards a new home.

 

I hasten to add I am not anti technology. I grew up in a house where we always had the latest and greatest new gizmos...my Dad is a HAM radio enthusiast...need I say more?!

 

And, I love the irony of me writing this on a computer screen and you reading it on a screen of some kind.

 

 

................................................

 

 

Below is a photograph taken in 1979 by my brother Wilfred Brimblecombe. [Yes he was up a tree] It is the main farmhouse on our parent's grain farm, our childhood home. The place was sold about 25 years ago. Notice the small hut-like building on the right of the main house. This was my Dad's HAM shack, full of all kinds of electronics. Also, notice the tall aerial just in front of the HAM shack...it sent and received many a communication.

 

 South Panorama of Glencoe Farm Homestead on Pirrinuan Plain by Wilfred Brimblecombe 1979

 

 

 

 

Landscape of Everything oil on linen 80 x 140 cm

 

 

 

COSMIC ADDRESS

My next exhibition:

15-10-13 to 27-10-13 at Graydon Gallery, Brisbane.

I am really excited about this show. Shall keep you posted!

 

RECOMMEND

Something I watched recently. It's a TED talk on self compassion. And, it is great.

The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self Compassion: Dr. Kristin Neff

http://youtu.be/IvtZBUSplr4

 

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN A COSMIC AGE-ONLINE EXHIBITION

Meeting Place Of The Mind Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm

 

MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN A COSMIC AGE

 

 

I know it's a big title with an enormous scope. But, I have no intention to analyse 'mind' or 'consciousness' or even 'cosmic age' in an academic way.

 

What I thought I would do is curate an online exhibition of my paintings that touch upon various aspects of mind and consciousness in a cosmic age. Regular readers will know that these three elements, amongst other things, pervade my work either overtly or subliminally.

 

So here goes!

 

Meeting Place Of the Mind [above] is a particular favourite of mine. It is a painting where opposites, represented by the male and female figures, merge into one. The dendritic trees-of-life and the neural-like appearance of the merged figures evokes concepts of mind and all the elements within. The 'meeting place' is in an indeterminable place of time and space. I particularly did not use the plural of 'mind' in the title, because I wanted The Mind to be something more than simply a collective.

 

You can read more at my previous BLOG post HERE

Price etc details are on my website HERE

 

 

The Hidden Seen In My Mind's Eye Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm 2004

 

The Hidden Seen In My Mind's Eye is an earlier painting [2004] when my vision was still more Earth bound than it is now. Yet distant horizons beckon with their cosmic promises! I remember titling this painting...it just came to me...and as time passes I have more and more revelations about what it might mean. After all the word 'hidden' asks...no teases...for revelation.

I love the idea that the mind may have an 'eye'. What do you think?

All the details for this painting are on my website HERE

 The Beginning Of Everything Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm

 

 

Perpetual Beginning Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm

 

 

The Beginning of Everything is a painting that tries to envision those nano seconds just after the Big Bang. So it's really a 'landscape' of the beginning of the Universe! But, does this also mean the beginning of consciousness? If we are star dust, then were the first small signs of consciousness in existence even before we humans manifested into flesh and blood? I don't know, but gee it's fun to think about this kind of stuff!

 

Perpetual Beginning : Constant change is the theme of this painting. In fact, perpetual constant change. Each change is a new beginning, so we experience perpetual beginnings too. This is an experience that crosses all spaces and places. In the 21st century we are learning more about the Universe. How is this affecting our understanding of consciousness? Are the ever increasing horizons of the quantum and cosmic worlds revealing more about consciousness?

 

For pricing etc details for The Beginning Of Everything please click HERE

For pricing etc details for Perpetual Beginning please click HERE

 

Multiverse Oil on linen 80 x 100 cm

Multiverse is another painting, like The Beginning Of Everything, which can be 'read' as a metaphor for mind or consciousness. How so with Multiverse?

Here is a quote from my previous post for Multiverse:
The tree in Multiverse is my much loved transcultural/religious tree-of-life/knowledge. Its branches weave the fabric of Space, which can also be seen metaphorically as the fabric of our soul. In one nano-second we can propel perceptions from the outer reaches of the imagined universe, to the inner reaches of our subconscious, our psyche, our soul. I love the feeling in my brain when my imagination swings from the outwardly vast to the inwardly intimate, but equally vast in possibility. It's a distance thing! From a soul point of view, the small portals in Multiverse offer potentail conduits to new discoveries about ourselves, new connections to who we are as we reflect upon experiences that have taught us who we are not.

For pricing etc details for Multiverse please click HERE

 The Colour Of Knowledge Oil on linen 62 x 82 cm

 

Birth of Knowledge and Faith Oil on linen 120 x 160 cm

The two paintings above The Colour Of Knowledge and Birth of Knowledge and Faith are metaphoric 'readings' of stories from the Bible. Like many stories, the depths of meaning go way beyond literal interpretations. And, many religious stories are shared across religions, revealing patterns that speak of core traits...or maybe one consciousness?

In The Colour Of Knowledge the moment when Eve takes from the tree is depicted. As she takes from the tree-of-knowledge opposites enter the world/consciousness. Prior to this, 'nakedness' and difference could not be seen, as opposites did not exist. Between new found antimonies is a space where an array of knowledge exists. This is represented by the colour that emanates in The Colour of Knowledge. 

The Birth of Knowledge and Faith This is a quote from my previous post:
Knowledge and faith, go hand in hand. For me they are dance partners taking us on a journey through the close and far distances between antimonies, where we have potential to 'find' ourselves by experimenting; by finding out who we are not, in order to know who we are.

For pricing details etc for The Colour Of Knowledge please click HERE
For pricing details etc for The Birth fo Knowledge and Faith please click HERE

Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul Oil on linen 100 x 100 cm

Here is a quote from my previous post:

I deliberately put the word 'beyond' in the title of Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul [above] to indicate that even though a journey into the 'dark night of the soul' is something most people will experience, at some stage in their lives, there is a place beyond the suffering.

This painting speaks of mind, spirit, consciousness and more. It suggests that the journey of life, whilst turbulent at times, is just that...a journey where we experince highs and lows, we learn and we imagine.

The idea of a 'beyond' resonates with cosmic potential.

Cosmic Address Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm

 

Cosmic Address is the most recent painting in this online exhibition. The 'address' need not be physical! Maybe the mind is a reflection of the Universe [or even Multiverse]? Where would that place consciousness? Perhaps everywhere!

 

Cosmic Address will be in my next exhibition called:

COSMIC ADDRESS 15-10-13 to 27-10-13 at Graydon Gallery, Brisbane. I am really excited about this show. Shall keep you posted!

 

I hope you have enjoyed this selection of paintings.

 

OTHER NEWS

 

My friend Dr. George Blair-West's award winning inspirational novel 'The Way Of The Quest' has been FREE for Kindle download over the Mother's Day weekend. The deal closes at 5 pm today Monday 13 May [Brisbane time] Check it out HERE

 

Over the weekend the book has hit #2 and #5 (ahead of Ellen DeGeneres latest book!) in the Amazon Bestseller lists in the Metaphysical and Motivational categories.  

 

Until next time!

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

HOPE

Hope Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm

 

So...I was thinking about hope.

 

Regular readers will know I have written about hope before [links below].  I again have been thinking about hope, for a number of reasons, but also in reference to my last painting and post Are We There Yet? The question implies a future destination, whether it be a literal place or a state of being. Is there hope implied in the question too? The more excited we are about a destination, the more likely we are to ask, especially repeatedly... 'Are we there yet?'... don't you think? If the destination is not a good one, then the question implies the hope that we don't get there!

 

I was going to call this painting Hope Springs Eternal, from Alexander Pope's long Essay On Man It is a short phrase from Epistle 1. In the end I decided on deceptively simple Hope

 

Hope humbly, then; with trembling pinions soar;
Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore.
What future bliss, He gives not thee to know,
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never is, but always to be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confined from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

 

I think Pope's poetry implies a future, even if it is death. But, that death is not the end of the soul...'life'...so Hope springs eternal...

 

APOCALYPSE?

As regular readers know, I sometimes think about apocalyptic futures: the demise of humanity and/or the planet at the hands of aberrant individuals or groups, or by 'natural' means such as wayward meteors slamming into Earth, or the 'natural' death of the sun and Earth's slow destruction.

 

I know, I know...all of this does not sound too hopeful!

 

But,

 

Out of the gloom hope raises its new shoots. For instance, hope drives much of science and philosophy...otherwise why would scientists and philosophers continue to ask questions? They hope for answers...and then...even more questions. Hope lives, even in the face of apocalypse! Hope is part of human complexity, and it is this complexity that gives hope for the future. 

 

UNIVERSE

Pope wrote the first Epistle of the Essay On Man in the context Of the Nature and State of Man, with respect to the Universe. In the 18th century humankind's understanding of the Universe was different to the understanding we have now. Yet, through the arts humanity attempts to vision its current understanding at the same time as posing questions...similarly to scientists and philosophers.

 

 He, who through vast immensity can pierce,
See worlds on worlds compose one universe,
Observe how system into system runs,
What other planets circle other suns,
What varied being peoples every star,

 

So, where does my painting Hope fit into all of this?

 

HOPE

When I imagined this painting I wanted a kind of post-apocalyptic 'landscape', as if remnants of Earth have been scattered across the galaxy. I wanted to suggest that these remnants could be metaphoric 'landscapes' of the human soul and imagination.

 

In the painting I have nine remnants of 'landscape', with one obviously issuing forth new life. Yes, my tree...the tree-of-life, the tree-of-knowledge lives on in a post apocalyptic 'landscape'! With life and knowledge there is hope...and with hope there is life and knowledge.

 

The 'landscape' remnant from which the tree erupts, is painted in slighty different colours compared with the other remnants. Its predominantly blue colour was chosen on purpose, to represent water a symbol of the subconscious, I imagine, more closely linked to soul. Water is also the 'blood' of life, the nurturer of growth, the essence of body. A few of the other 'landscape' remnants have glimpses of green, a colour that teases us with the potential for life, growth and renewal. Maybe, on these remnants, there are small shoots of life [trees] too small for us to see...yet? Hope!

 

I also liked the idea of 'landscape' remnants, because it helps untether concepts of landscape from being Earth bound, forcing new literal and metaphoric perspectives which, in turn, give rise to new 'landscapes'. I've previously written about some of my untethering landscape ideas.

 

Below is a photo of one of my initial sketches for Hope. Just thought you might like to see my very cursory sketch. I often do these kind of quick sketches to help my mind's eye take control of  the paint brush. My children's old and unused school pads come in handy.

 

Sketch for Hope

 

 

OTHER 'HOPE' POSTS

Beauty Give Hope A Chance

Beauty Has No Antonymn

Questions 

Hope In The Distance

 

 

NEWS

• The Art News is a dynamic website featuring an array of article, reviews and news about visual art in Australia. Each Friday they have what's called 'New Work Friday' and three of my recent paintings were selected for last Friday's 'New Work'. Check 'New Work Friday' out by clicking HERE

• COSMIC ADDRESS is the title for my next exhibition 15-10-13 to 27-10-13 at Graydon Gallery, Brisbane. I am really excited about this show. Shall keep you posted!

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

ARE WE THERE YET?

Are We There Yet? Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm

 

On long trips young children are inclined to ask, 'Are we there yet?' more than once or twice! Indeed, my own children, on long drives to and from Goondiwindi*, were inclined to ask this question a lot. One daughter more so than the other two. She did not like to sit still for very long. She'd start asking within minutes of leaving on a four to five hour drive!

 

I remember asking the same question of my parents too. Like my daughter I did not like to sit still for long periods of time. That was back in the days when time seemed to travel so, so, so slowly...when a half hour math class seemed an excrutiating eternity and a whole year was beyond that!

 

 

Photos of me [aged about 6] and my brother Wilfred in the back seat of our car. From memory a trip to Brisbane from our home at Dalby to visit our grandparents. In the 1960s this took about 4 or slightly more hours...an eternity! You can tell Wilfred is a lot happier than me! In fact he looks quite mischievous. 

 

But, the question Are we there yet? has a much wider amplification into various human endevours and activities, from literal travel to individual self improvement and beyond to 'enlightenment'. The question implies a destination, whether it is a geographical location or a hoped-for outcome or a state of being. But, does it also perhaps imply an inability to make the most of the present? I remember distracting my impatient daughter by drawing her attention to all sorts of things, from grazing cattle and horses, kangaroos hopping beside the road, pretty clouds wafting across the sky. She would spend a few minutes watching and thinking, before again asking...'Are we there yet?'

 

* Goondiwindi is a small rural town on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

 

 

ARE WE THERE YET? OIL ON LINEN 80 x 140 cm

 

So, to my painting Are We There Yet?.  I wanted to create an ambiguous landscape...and regular readers know this is something I like to do. I wanted a sense of flying, as if the viewer has reached the outer edge of a planet....which could be Earth, but maybe it is not? Hence my title...Are We There Yet?...suggests that perhaps we have travelled to another planet...perhaps in those round blue balls? Maybe we have just left Earth for a very long trip and this painting is the last fly-by?

 

I thought about this painting after reading various articles, including a very recent one in National Geographic Most Earthlike Planets Found Yet: A "Breakthrough", about discoveries of planets that, maybe... just maybe, could be like Earth. There are a couple of implications stemming from the suggestion that these planets may support life. One is that they already have life in some form and the other implication is that humanity could find another 'home' on these newly discovered planets. Each of these implications have a myriad of others!

 

In the event of Earth's destruction, possibly orchestrated by aberrant individuals or groups, or as a result of our sun's slow and increasingly heat fuelled demise, or a wayward meteor causing nighmarish destruction of our life sustaining environment or indeed humanity's destruction of our life sustaining environment, we [humanity] may need a new home. Imagine remnants of humanity travelling on space craft to planets, possibly 1000s of light years away. New life would be born during the trip to the promised land. Imagine how many would be asking 'Are we there yet?' or 'When will we get there?' But, maybe scientists will send a special mix of human DNA, which upon some pre-determined trigger, forms into humans? But, who would ask the very human question 'Are we there yet?'

 

As I look out my office window, it all seems so fanciful and impossible. It is a perfect Brisbane autumn day. The sky is a gorgeous blue and the sun settles softly on leaves and flowers. Birds are chirping and a soft breeze gantly drifts through my window tickling my cheeks.  Yep, I've just returned to the present after travelling in my imagination to distant futures and celestial destinations!

 

You will notice the small blue tree...my reference to the age-old transcultural/religious tree-of-life symbol. As regular readers know, it is a dominant visual guide in my work. I like it because it offers wisdom.

 

A recent related post and painting is ON MY TRAVELS I SAW

 

 

BITS AND PIECES

•  COSMIC OUROBOROS is the most visited post on my BLOG
• Since my lucky experience with social networking working at its best ...when Deepak Chopra retweeted Nancy Ellen Abrams tweet about my painting and post COSMIC ADDRESS...it is now the 6th most popular post on my BLOG...even though it was only written in March this year! Very grateful. You can follow me on TWITTER HERE
• COSMIC ADDRESS is the title for my next exhibition  15-10-13 to 27-10-13 at Graydon Gallery, Brisbane. I am really excited about this show.
• My last post LET THERE BE LIGHT is a small online exhibition of selected 'light' inspired paintings. I link them back to my website where other details, including pricing, are listed.

 

Until next time,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

 

LET THERE BE LIGHT-Small Online Exhibition.

 Halo Oil on linen 82 x 183 cm 2009

 

I am working on a new painting. In the meantime I thought I'd 'curate' an online exhibition of a few of my paintings which 'speak' of light...in all its literal and metaphoric ways.

 

HALO

 

Halo [above] is a painting I have written about a few times. I'll admit to being very fond of this painting. The image of Earth with a 'halo' of atmosphere surrounding it has a few stories attached to it. I painted this on the 25th anniversary of my cousin Dr. Bill From's death on Mt Everest. He was killed when he slipped on an icey patch as he and his climbing mates were descending. More of the details are HERE. Funny thing is, when I painted Halo I was thinking about Bill, but I did not realise it was the month of the anniversairy or his birthday, until I googled his name to see if there was any online news about the attempt to climb Mt Everest.

 

Bill had just completed hi PhD [UQ] in ionospheric physics. He was literally studying Earth's atmosphere.

 

This painting is currently hanging in my lounge room and I love it.

 

If you are interested in buying this piece all the details are HERE

 

 

 The Colour Of Knowledge Oil on linen 62 x 82 cm 2009

 

 

THE COLOUR OF KNOWLEDGE

 

The Colour Of Knowledge is another of my favourite pieces [I have lots!] If you want to read more please click HERE.

 

Briefly, the figures of Adam and Eve are central to the visual story. As Eve takes from the tree-of-knowledge antimonies enter the world giving rise to knowledge in the spaces between [eg: good and evil]. Knowedge is illuminatory and revelatory. In this painting knowledge is represented by the colour that cascades from the white light of Adam and Eve's existence prior to Eve taking from the tree-of-knowledge ie: when they could not see their differences. 

 

If you are interested in buying this painting please click HERE for details

 

 

 Finding The Light Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm 2010

 

 

FINDING THE LIGHT

 

Here's a quote from my earlier post for this painting:

I have called this painting 'Finding The Light', because it implies a search which results in discovery. 'Light' can represent knowledge, discovery. It can also represent faith. It can represent the Divine. It can represent finding oneself. Coupled with the tree-of-life/knowledge it can represent LIFE.

I have created the 'light' with the small dots which cascade over the woman inside the vortex. This 'light' spills into the trees like veins pulsing through life's membranes.

 

Finding The Light is currently hanging in my guest bedroom and it looks great. There are windows on each side, the walls are painted a soft yellow...and every time I walk past the room and look in, I feel good!

 

If you are interested in buying this painting please click HERE for all the details

Becoming The Light oil on linen 160 x120 cm 2012

 

 

BECOMING THE LIGHT

 

Every time I look at this painting I am surprised. Why? Because, it glimmers! A photo does not capture the glimmer and that's a shame. However, I do think that surprising paintings will never reveal their secrets in a photo...otherwise the photo would be the work of art!

 

The female figure, enclosed within a vortex, shimmers with light. As she relishes the peace at the quiet core of the vortex she is ready for illumination. As regular readers will notice my  transcultural/religious tree-of-life plays an important part in the matrix. Its pattern repeats across the painting, revealing energy forces and dynamics which propel and nurture.

 

If you are interested in buying this painting please click HERE for details

 Seeking The Light Oil on linen 36 x 36 cm 2012

 

SEEKING THE LIGHT

 

I wrote in an earlier post,  the female figure, representing Mother Nature, seems to attract light. Her arms and feet erupt with vascular-like trees connecting her to whatever energy it is that propels life.

 

This small painting is hanging in a nook in my lounge room. Like the others above, whenever I look at it or it catches my eye, I feel a need to keep looking. It does really 'light up' the nook where it hangs. It seems to move, and as the light of day changes, it changes.

 

If you are interested in buying this painting please click HERE for all the details. It is under $1,000 AUD [excluding any freight/packaging costs].

 The Quiet Fierceness of Light Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm 2012

 

 

QUIET FIERCENESS OF LIGHT

I did have this painting hanging above my dining room table, but it has SOLD. So, it now hangs in a lovely new place. And, it looks great too.

I wrote in an earlier post, In 'Quiet Fierceness of Light' a figure of a woman reaches across the canvas, as if she is straddling the depths of time. A flame of light provides a force which seems to propel her. But she garners this light in the spaces between the branches of the trees which erupt from her arms and legs.

and

The light in 'Quiet Fierceness of Light' is more about the light of knowledge...of ourselves, others and the universe. It is with and through knowledge that we shed light across the pathways of life. The light imbues us with wonder as it calls forth both beckoning and shining the way. Light that beckons is where we find challenge, drawing us towards it. If we are game we meet its glow.

There is more to 'Quiet Fierceness of Light', but I'll leave that to you, the viewer. I leave you to travel your own journey with light!

 The Birth Of Knowledge and Faith Oil on linen 120 x 160 cm

 

 

 THE BIRTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND FAITH

 

This is may artist's statement for the 2012 Mandorla Art Prize, perth, Australia: This painting was selected as one of the finalists.

 

Two transcultural/religious trees-of-life/knowledge emanate from a woman’s outstretched arms and feet. She is the ‘sacred feminine’. In forming a circle she ‘sings’ and ‘dances’ her elemental grace of life continuance. More specifically I was thinking of two biblical women, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, Eve and Mary.

As Eve took from the tree she gave ‘birth’ to Knowledge in the spaces between antimonies. As Mother Mary gave birth to Jesus, the ‘Light of the World’, she also gave birth to Faith.

I imagine that as Eve took from the tree, the world cascaded into the colours and hues that allowed Adam and Eve to ‘see’ each other. I ‘see’ colour as representing Knowledge. In this painting the multi coloured trees and the ‘sacred feminine’ figure are surrounded by halo-like white light. The two trees also meet in a pulse of white. This white light represents Faith.

If you are interested in buying this painting pleasec click HERE for all the details

 

Until next time:
Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

LANDSCAPE OF EVERYTHING

Landscape of Everything Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm

 

Calling a painting Landscape of Everything is either brave or ludicrous. I can live with both!

 

 

SO MANY THOUGHTS

 

When I was painting this image I had many many different thoughts going through my head, cascading in and out, provoking panic, excitement, fear, wariness, joy and more. There were so many thoughts that when I came to give the painting a title, nothing seemed adequate, until I came up with Landscape of Everything.

 

So, what were the thoughts going through my head? Well...here we go.

 

I wanted a cosmic appearance, but an ambiguous one in terms of perspective, orientation, place, and consciousness. The viewer can variously see many things...well that's the plan! Are you looking from a space ship back at the Earth? If so, which coloured ball is Earth? Are you on Earth looking out to space? Or are you peering into something much smaller? Or is the image a play on imagination, dreams? Maybe it is a 'landscape' of the subconsious, that place where dreams are conjured?

 

Maybe the painting dances with imagination and postulation? Indeed, at one stage I imagined each  of the balls being other universes. The concept that we live in a multiverse is really very exciting. I've written about this before in a post called MULTIVERSE and in another called MULTIVERSE POSSIBILITIES  Whilst modern cosmologists postulate about a multiverse, the idea provides wonderful metaphoric possibilities for individual human psyches, plus the whole of humanity's psyche/collective [sub]consciousness. Maybe the painting is a 'landscape' of humanity's psyche, a promise of a far more multi faceted dimension and fate than we have ever dreamed?

Landscape of Everything also relates to my previous post and painting On My Travels I Saw

 

Now for a bit of fun....maybe the coloured balls in Landscape of Everything are the other universes hinted at in my earlier painting Multiverse [below]. In Multiverse you will notice the little portals/eyes dotted around the tree-of-life...portals to other universes!!! Maybe we have travelled through them... or about to?

 

 

Multiverse Oil on linen 80 x 100 cm

 

SPACE IMAGERY AND SIMULATIONS

 

I was also thinking about the space imagery we see in books and on the internet. Some are photographs taken by various means, artists'/illustrators' impressions, and others are computer simulations. These images can be beautiful with a sense of reality and a non-reality. The play between these states is intriguing. I was thinking about this 'play' when I was painting Landscape of Everything. Rather than re-create something that looked 'real' I wanted to stimulate recognition, without a sense of surity.

 

The interesting fact that many images of cells etc under a microscope appear 'cosmic' [and vice versa], also got me thinking. The repetition of pattern across the vast scale of the universe is extraordinarily exciting. Yet, merely recording and showing the replication, for me at least, does not embrace its potential to go beyond the interest factor into realms where new ideas/insights maybe generated. Whilst Landscape of Everything is not a 'landscape' in the traditional sense, I have tried to elicit a sense of recognition of an 'environment' at the same time as stimulating fun, questions, debate and more...conversation maybe?

 

PERSPECTIVE AND LANDSCAPE

 

Regular readers will know of my keen interest in perspective and the potential for us to see multi-perspectives, even simultaneously. Certainly, modern cosmology has provided us with ample new viewpoints, which keep expanding, into vastness, the quantum and possibility. It also, I think, compels us to develop more sophisticated ideas of literal and metaphoric perspective that may lead to new skills and insights. Indeed, I argue, that notions of 'landscape' need to be untethered from Earth, especially in an age where, for example, we literally have a glorious amount of new visions of Earth from outer space.

 

In an increasingly globalised world, a cosmic perspective may afford us the opportunity to avoid [or stop] navel gazing. Planet Earth is our only home, for the foreseeable [and beyond] future and we need to work together to look after it, as well as collaboratively ensure that our immediate space environment is managed in a sustainably appropriate way. As I have written before...Earth maybe our home, but the Universe is our environment.

 

DOTS

And, it did occur to me that my new painting could be just a bunch of coloured balls painted onto an interesting background. But....

 

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Here's a few earlier posts which might interest you:

 

UNTETHERING LANDSCAPE...REVOLUTIONARY?

TOWARDS A COSMIC LANDSCAPE

CLOSE AND FAR DISTANCE

NOTIONS OF PERSPECTIVE

 

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 My next solo exhibition

 

COSMIC ADDRESS

 

will be in 15- 27 October

Brisbane

 

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

 

 

ON MY TRAVELS I SAW

On My Travels I Saw Oil on linen 90 x 100cm

 

'On my travels I saw'....now where does this lead?

 

 

I wanted to paint an image that reached beyond ideas of literal travel into the vast and intimate distances of imagination. So...'on my travels I saw'...can literally mean seeing something on a journey, but it can also mean conjuring idylls, exploring make-believe, capturing dreams, playing with possibilities.

 

I also wanted to paint an image that ruffled landscape...earth bound landscapes. I have previously written about my ideas of untethering notions of 'landscape' from Earth, embracing the multitudinous perspectives offered by modern cosmology. So....in On My Travels I Saw there is a landscape, but is it Earth, is it another planet, is it in the past or in the future? The three round and coloured balls are playfully ambiguous. Are they other planets, are they the one planet travelling through time, are they spaceships, are they the whispers from other universes or remnants of the Big Bang? Or, are they moments in a dream, particles of consciousness, inceptions of imagination? I suggest they are all these things and more. It's up to you!

 

 

To help you on your way:

 

I recommend you read this fantastic article:

 

YOUR BRAIN IS THE UNIVERSE

 

Part 1  Part 2

 

by Deepak Chopra, M.D., FACP, Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard University, and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), P. Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, FRCP, Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, Menas C. Kafatos, Ph.D., Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor in Computational Physics, Director, Center of Excellence, Chapman University [April 2013]

The article is in two parts. To read part1 and part 2 please click on the links  Part 1    Part 2

 

As you can tell from the title the article travels within the vast and cosmic distances of 'reality'. When I read the article something stirred within me... a kind of knowing...not a new one, but a stirring of something beyond individual memory...it felt right.

 

I got pretty excited when I read this article, for many reasons. And, regular readers, when you do read the article, you will immediately know why! Hint....trees!

 

Just to get your anticipatory juices going here's one line from  'Your Brain Is The Universe':

It‘s hard for a neuroscientist to look up at trees and not see even more intricate parallels. [Part 1]

 

 

MEETING PLACE OF THE MIND

 

In June 2011 I painted a painting and wrote a BLOG post called Meeting Place of The Mind . Here's a quote from my post:

 

I wanted to create an image which 'spoke' of mind, thinking, intelligence...all in their broadest senses from nano to universal, from human to divine. The trees, figures and the spiral in 'Meeting Place Of The Mind' have an almost synaptic appearance, which I am really pleased about, because it references interconnectedness and the life propelling nature of systems.

 

To read more click HERE

 

 

Meeting Place Of The Mind Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm 2011

 

 

 

OTHER 'TRAVELLING' PAINTINGS

With the help of the tree-of-life

 

 

 Tree-Of-Life Time Travelling Oil on linen 90 x 150 cm 2012

 

 

 Returning Oil on linen 50 x 94 cm 2012

 

 

When It Rained On Mars? oil on linen 90 x 150 cm

 

 

 

MY BROTHER'S LATEST POST AND PHOTOGRAPH

 

Please check out the image.

It is amazing.

Believe me!

 

WILFRED BRIMBLECOMBE BALD ROCK GIRRAWEEN

 

 

THANK-YOU

Thank you to everyone who has been visiting my BLOG. Numbers are steadily increasing and I am most appreciative.

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com