ARTIST'S
STATEMENTS
"The
Great Mother"
This recent
body of works I have described as nouveau symbolic. By combining layers
of imagery, stories, research and beliefs I try to create multiple meanings.
The term “The Great Mother” came to me after years of travel
and absorbing Indigenous views that are pervasive throughout the world
incorporating the Gaia theory, which considers the whole world or biosphere
as a living organism and an entity within its own right. Science and Mythology
are now merging as we find striking similarities between the two.
My works seek to source the intrinsic meaning and inner relationship between
this “external” world and ourselves.
“In this world of constant flux and change, I see my role as an
artist as one of exploring the intimate, aspects as opposed to the dominant
role of relationships between humans and their environment.
I have recently chosen the image of the nude as a metaphor, or archetypal
image of our landscape. Usually faceless, my archetypal images are not
be confused with the female “gender” role.
The image entices us into the land, invoking an intimate partnership,
urging us to listen to more subtle signs enabling us to be guided by her.
There is enough scientific evidence now to prove that immense damage and
personal illness has and will keep on occurring whilst we remain ignorant
of the causalities. The interconnectedness of humans, animals, plant life
and the elements are undeniable on deeper reflection.
We have a choice whether to dominate; exploit, rape and pillage, or we
can nurture, listen and ultimately heal her and ourselves.
I allow each painting to “talk” to me after going “bush”
for a while which is imperative to just “being” still and
listening. I meditate on plants and situations in situ for sometimes hours
alone according to circumstances. This process allows me to free up my
conditioned responses. Indigenous Australians have been instrumental in
reawakening my love for this land via walks and stories.
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Landscape
“I
have been painting all my life”. My style has been described as
intuitive symbolic. By combining layers of imagery, stories, research
and beliefs I try to create multiple meanings. My work contains a variety
of subject matter and combines detailed and complex technical execution
with an overall balance of simplicity. My works seek to source the intrinsic
meaning and inner relationship between ourselves and the external world:
“In this world of constant flux and change, I see my role as an
artist as one of exploring the intimate, aspects of relationships between
humans and their environment. I have recently chosen the image of landscape
as a metaphor in my own search for deeper meanings of not only life, but
death as well. Death and renewal reemerge constantly within the landscape,
being a poignant reminder of how short but powerful ones life can be.
The images I produce entice us into the land, invoking an intimate partnership.
We have a choice whether to dominate; exploit, rape and pillage, or we
can nurture, listen and ultimately heal her and ourselves. The fragility
of the global environment is now exposed daily through the media, Subjects
incorporating radical climate change, roll off pre-eminent scientific
tongues on a daily basis. I have always felt that change can be a painful
teacher to readdress imbalance. The pendulum searching for it’s
own equilibrium will either sooth us back into place or smash our known
realities. This is our choice individually and collectively.
I allow each painting to “talk” to me during execution of
my work, there is no attack plan or control, each medium, whether line
or colour has it’s own signature qualities. I “listen”
to the movement of the paint, allowing its personality some room to grow
and expand. Multiple glazing effects, applied, allows a technical vehicle
or map to illustrate multiple, and often complex, ever changing aspects
of not only human-to-landscape relationships, but also human-to-human
relationships. We all have different emotions and masks, which incorporate
much deeper aspects to our consciousness.
I see my role as artist to be a bridge in society. A bridge between known
and unknown.
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DREAMS
OF ANOTHER TIME
The
theme title of these works displayed came to me via intuition and dreams
during the course of visiting Aboriginal sites and talking to Indigenous
elders. These works here are an on going extension of works from previous
exhibitions encompassing the Gaia theory. Archetypal imagery is a common
theme throughout my work. The purpose of my work is to marry ancient myth
with modern quantum physics. Most symbols in my work are universal, whilst
the subject material is from place hence the feeling of aboriginality.
I, like other researchers before me, have found similarities within all
peoples and writings worldwide. From American Indians, Chinese, Arabic,
Hindu, Australian aborigines, Egyptian to Judeo Christian beliefs, reoccurring
themes abound. Serpents and D.N.A are common ancient themes throughout
the globe.
This is the ground of my symbolic application.
Anthropologist/author
Jeremy Narby’s book “The cosmic serpent” has been an
important influence in this current series of work.
David Bohm, one of the planets’ greatest quantum physicists, realized
what indigenous peoples have known and practised for millennia - that
everything is interconnected and interrelated.
I use techniques of marbling (representing chaos) overlaid with line (order),
incorporating symbolic representations of other realities interdispersed
within and beyond our five sense perceptions. Chaos and order unfolding
constantly from within the hidden “implicate” nature of the
universe. Transparent glazes of paint depicting animal, plant and humans
interact and overlap encompassing a holographic interrelation and interconnectedness.
This technical application allows for a symbolic representation, empowering
David Bohm’s holographic universe theory.
Multiple suns, representing multiple days and moving stars mark the passage
of vast amounts of illusory time and space. Serpents with crystal-like
appearance represent our D.N.A’s interconnectedness with our environment.
Kundalini-like energy lines pass through transparent dancers and symbolic
representations of human-like entities in bush environments. Decay, death,
and back to life again in landscape vistas passing swiftly through time
are created in painted marble flows consistent with Ron Fricke’s
film “Baraka”.
Gold leaf is applied to sacred aspects hidden beyond sense perceptions.
Subtle energy lines used in acupuncture and sacred energy points sprinkled
throughout indicating a deeper implicate and causal relationship juxtaposed
onto and over our spatio-temporal senses. Anyone who has had acupuncture
therapy for injuries can recognize the acupuncture points on any wall
chart included in my works.
I have also included ancient Hindu energy maps of internal energetic pathways.
(See “Bush Strings”) I named the painting after I had heard
an indigenous elder referring to the subtle acupuncture lines as “strings”.
Suggested
further reading “The Cosmic Serpent” Jeremy Narby.
“The Holographic universe” Michael Talbot.
David Bohm (quantum physicist), Joseph Campbell (comparative mythologies).
Carl Jung (Archetypes and synchronicities).
Copyright 2007 John Scott
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INTERCONNECTED
The theme
title for these works ‘interconnected’ came to me during the
course of visiting Aboriginal sites and talking to Indigenous elders.
These works here are an
ongoing extension of works from previous exhibitions encompassing the
Gaia theory. Archetypal imagery is a common theme throughout my work.
The purpose of my work is to marry ancient myth with modern holographic
quantum physics. Most symbols in my work are relative to individual beliefs
but contain underlying universality. The subject material is from place
hence the feeling of aboriginality. This is the ground of my symbolic
application.
David Bohm, one of the planets’ greatest quantum physicists, realized
what indigenous peoples have known and practised for millennia - that
everything is interconnected and interrelated. Animism is not new, of
course, but indigenous peoples take Bohm’s theorem one-step further
by incorporating the spirit world. They believe that instead of going
to a ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ once passed over, their
soul becomes part of their immediate manifest cosmos in all it multifarious
forms. This view, when expanded, is enormous and vast. The matriarchal
dispersion of ‘soul energy’ is redistributed into all matter
as opposed to the western view of going to a ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’,
after death. . This latter scenario objectifies ‘deity’ or
‘heaven/hell’ to “somewhere” that is disconnected
from our own temporal existence. Interconnection is a realisation that
the manifested, interconnected, material temporal plane, coexists with
our deeper spiritual aspect. Completely intertwined. The result deepens
our cosmological posturing of after death states and the spirit world.
Whatever we do to this planet and life including others, we do to ourselves.
Language.
The main problem with describing different valid beliefs is semantics
and semiotics within different languages to describe complex phenomenon.
E.g. “mother” to earth religions in one sense is used to describe
the whole planets biosphere with all its massive complexity. One could
watch discovery channel for a whole lifetime and not discover all the
interconnections and life within it. It’s too vast.
Intellectuals/scientists since the renaissance have stated that the language
of indigenous peoples is “too simple” or “primitive”
to describe complex quantum theorems. Coming full circle since the renaissance,
scientists now suffer from the very same accusations they espouse. One
example is E=mc2…on the surface this is a very small, Zen like equation,
which describes complex gravity, space-time, relative relationships. This
‘simple’ equation describes complex electromagnetic phenomena.
Vast electromagnetic grids that crisscross the planet, which enable an
alumni of nuclear physicists exact mathematical equations to detonate
atomic bombs! Most people could not describe E=mc2 in its entire complexity
let alone the ongoing aftermath of atomic bombs. Sadly I can’t eat
it, nor want to breath its outcome. The point I am making here is valid
in that Indigenous elders already know of Einstein’s magnetic grid
pathways and have known for thousands of years before science ‘discovered’
them for the use of weapons of mass destruction. The grids are incorporated
within the Indigenous ‘songlines’ theorem. I cannot disclose
more than that due the sacred nature of this knowledge.
We can describe similar phenomena within different ‘language’
descriptors, and come up with the similar outcomes. Scientifically have
we driven down the material road looking for the point of singularity
and missed the bigger picture perhaps?
Survival.
Our collective laser like scientific approach broke the back of superstition
but has given us this global disaster we are now confronting called progress.
Global warming, mono crops, seed bank destruction, genetic tampering,
species destruction, weapons of unimaginable destruction, working stupid
hours, illnesses that never existed before. The list is endless. Too big
to contemplate perhaps? I’m still asking questions but I have the
power to make informed choices.
I feel my deeper purpose is to understand the ‘interconnectedness’
with all life.
A fuller and broader view than a scientific “re-destructionist”,
money driven, outcome view.
I choose to paint the beauty rather than the ugliness around me. The choice
is mine.
Perhaps “heaven” and “hell” are states of being,
here in the material plane, inseparable from spiritual existence? Perhaps
we create our own existence as some have postured?
If this is the case, the good thing about choice is I can choose which
direction my world goes.
Technical aspects to my application.
I use techniques of marbling (representing chaos) overlaid with line (order),
incorporating symbolic representations of other realities interdispersed
within and beyond our five sense perceptions. Chaos and order unfolding
constantly from within the hidden “implicate” nature of the
universe. Transparent glazes of paint depicting animal, plant and humans
interact and overlap encompassing a holographic interrelation and interconnectedness.
This technical application allows for a symbolic representation, empowering
Bohm’s holographic universe theory.
Gold leaf, when used, is applied to sacred aspects implying hidden aspects
beyond the sense perceptions. “Barrington campfires” was named
after I had heard an indigenous elder referring to “stars in the heavens
as ‘star people’ sitting around the campfire just like us”.
Suggested reading.
Everything you can get your hands on when you are ready to read it. Especially
banned books.
Suggested listening.
Anyone who has something intelligent to say that you don’t understand.
Then again even silly people drop pearls. Discern for yourself.
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