So, on July 31, I found myself at Alex Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors for a 7 day retreat on Drawing and Sculpting the Human Anatomy. We used a traditional approach, called the ecorche method, to accomplish this. The basis of the technique: first sculpting the skeleton, bone by bone, making everything proportional, and getting all the notches and bumps and insertion points on; then, after this, lay on all the major muscles over top. This was very time consuming, and very intensive. It was 9 hours a day, for 7 days- myself and 14 other people, and Alex was the Captain of the ship, orienting us to the world of anatomy.
This was, to say the least, the highlight of my artistic training so far. It was highly technical, intellectual, and absolutely fascinating, and the Teacher was the best I have ever had. My creativity and enjoyment of art blossomed again, after a long winter of post-modern malaise and despair. It has given me a taste of what REAL art instruction can be, and what it can do for me. It also infused me with a profound vision of Art as Religion, of Physiology as Theology, and of an almost tantric devotion to the Image.
My last retreat was only 3 days. This one was 7. And we also found a surprise of an evening of partying going on there, which was blissful. Glitchop, by the musical genius of Tipper. I also had the oppurtunity to partake in a few beautiful sacraments, the least of which was what Alex has fondly termed the Green Jesus.
The experience, over all, placed me firmly into the drivers seat of my creativity, and thus also of my spiritual path as a whole, reminding me of the journey of the Artist, and of the quest for Vision, which leads along many roads. I have come to find myself standing with myself, 'alone with the alone' and moving in a direction of ecstatic inspiration, and divine union culminating in Art and Creation.
Connections were formed and seeds were planted which I know will be sprouting into beautiful possibilities in the future, nourished by the blood of my devotion, and a little bit of fate thrown in.
The other thing I got, which I was actually quite surprised about, as it had not even crossed my mind, was the people I met and the connections I made. Being with 15 other beautiful like minded people, all artists in their own right, was so refreshing. It has been so long since I had creative peers around- which truly made me feel like an artist again.
This was perhaps he greatest gift. Almost 6 years ago now, I quite art, as my other blog posts attest to. I gave up, and went on a journey to find out what killed God and why. Even a month ago, had someone asked me if I was an artist, I would have hesitated, or said "well, kind of." Now, if I am asked that question, I just say "Yes." This may not seem like a big deal, but for myself, it is a momentous occasion, accepting upon myself the full weight of what that term means to me.
"The Artist is the Priest of Creation." I wrote this in my notebook the other day. The artist has the greatest of responsibilities, for the artist shapes the way which we see the world. In my mind, the Artist is responsible to remind people of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. This is the Mission of Art as put forward by Alex, and confirmed by the entire tradition of visionary, spiritual and religious painting. I will not get much more into this here, suffice to say that I have plenty to say on the topic of "post-modernism" and the emergence of a whole New Rennaissance in Art. This will be a subject of much exploration and discussion on my part.
So here I stand again. I have aimed my sights high. Nothing less than mastery, even if it takes me my whole life (which it will.) I know I can do it, though the goal is distant. I feel as though I stand at the base of a path, which leads to a mountain I can see, far off in the distance. I can see the peak, thanks to those great Beings who cast their light from its summit; from here, I can see the whole mountain. Once I start on this path, it will dip in and out of view; and as I get closer, it will loom even higher. Once I am at the base, the peak will not be visible again until I reach it, and then it will look wholly different. But, the Path is lined with Gold, so long as one stays to the Middle Way.
The journey of the Artist is ultimately a quest for Vision, a deepening process of transformation, whereby the Inner Eye is awakened and the spirit can See and express what it beholds. At its highest, a painting is a piece of Crystallized Prayer, a moment of Theophany which has been drawn down through Prometheus' hollow tube to warm and enlighten ones fellow being.
The path is narrower- for this path, not just the path of the artist, but the path of the mystic as well, is a hard one. The footsteps we have to follow in are big indeed, names which tower through the annals of art history, names such as Michaelangelo, Goya, Blake, Leonardo, Rubens, Durer, Van gogh, Dali, Mucha, Kandinsky. Everything you are taught in art school says that this tradition is dead, that no meaning exists, that beauty is a lie and truth is a falsehood. They would have us believe that God is dead. The Visionary and Mystic Artist must struggle against culture, struggle to be a beacon of light in an ocean of darkness. A lighthouse.
I feel like I am just starting out on this path, even though I have been on it all my life. I have wasted precious time, but no more. I must throw myself back into this to complete what i started. I had given up on this Dream, and in doing so turned my back on my Love, on my Light and on my Heart. I have no way out but through. I will have to struggle, step by step, to get the skills I need to be able to do justice to that infinite Source of all Art: God.
So my blog will be expanding itself to encompass this part of my studies. I will be blogging about the techniques I uncover, the exercises I undertake, the results I get. I will be speculating on the philosophy of Art, as well as the other side of it all; the Secret Language of Art, sometimes called the Language of the Birds. This is the esoteric language, and it is the organ of speech for the Creative Imagination.
I will detail aspects of the mystical theosophy of Art which I have been developing, as well as excursions into the Mundus Imaginalis, the Imaginary World. Not only do I have to perfect my artistic vehicle, and master my Tools, I also have to uncover the mysteries of the Imagination, to awaken the organ of perception whereby god may be seen.
"Our whole business in this life is to restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen." ~ Saint Augustine.
I am a mystic, a theosopher and an artist. This is the account of my trials and tribulations to become a willing and able Servant of God and to help bring a little more Light to a very dark world. I set out to see what might be seen, meet who must be met, say what must be said, and live a life I can be proud of.
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