Dream Art

“Dreams are like a microscope through which we look at hidden occurrences in our soul.” -- Eric Fromm

Certain dreams are clearly remembered because they are painful and distressful, exposing wounds that cry out for special attention. And they are dreams, which carry the healing properties for these very wounds, showing us a way to shift the position of the psyche so that a transformation and/or healing can occur.

I have found that the dream itself can be the storyteller speaking in a language of sensations and impulses, couched within a body of other dimensional impressions. It is a substance so plastic and astral it is amiable to molding. It can take any form and be forms within forms; a friend, a place, a motion, a fear. And when these impressions are brought back to a conscious level what is remembered can be applied creatively: Projected onto the canvas, paper made into a mask, a poem, a story, a song, a dance or drama. The possibilities are endless. And when this is done, the dream becomes more than a gestation, more than a birth. It springs forth fully in order to become a separate entity that produced and viewed belongs, not only to the creator, but to all who experience it as well. Something that is produced and viewed belongs not only to its creator, but to all who experience it.

“Art Is The Axe That Breaks the Frozen Sea Within Us.” -- Franz Kafka

Painting for me is a portal into the mystery of the creative process. The study of ancient myths and working with dreams is my vehicle to explore and discover dark and wondrous currents within the psyche. It is then that gestured images are born from the womb of dreams. My work, as an artist, is to translate these sensations into narrative plastic terms, animate and project them onto the canvas. And at times, to my wonder and amazement, the most archaic components preserved in the collective unconscious spring forth and are revealed.

The dynamics of painting from dreams is a highly individualistic endeavor. Images that spring from the dream will vary from painting to painting. And since the dream is my muse, the conscious action of the task of producing from it tends to be hermetic which leads me through the action of painting downward into the subliminal realms. And as the involvement grows rich against the background of my conscious life, I become increasingly aware of my journey inward. Sometimes in darkness, sometimes within a place of its own illumination, rendering as a living structure; a bridge that spans across the great abyss which exists between the modern world of technology and the spiritual realms of the soul. Sometimes what is there proves to be contrary to the way ones sees oneself. And yet with this vision, if allowed, will present itself in tune with the ebb and flow of ones own nature.

I have found that creating from dreams one can be freed from blocks and/or inhibitions. If one is willing to learn how to be comfortable with the ambiguous, the random, and to eventually surrender to the creative process, the natural rhythms of chaos letting go of what is there will eventually translate into something capable of creating its own order.

Once the language of one’s own dreams is learned, receptivity to this process becomes an alchemical sublimation and can and often does spring from the unconscious to the conscious, via a more intimate relationship with one’s own shadow. One who is able to respond willingly to the changing atmosphere, unafraid of what might be revealed, having the courage to rely on the adventure of discovery may lead oneself to accepting the whirlwinds of inspiration until the moments of searching and reaching ends with a gust of creation. This is when the real work begins. This is when the artist calls upon the love of the craft itself to continue until what was once vague and quivering springs to life.

What I am learning through the process of my own particular approach to my work is that what comes through me is a stain cast clearly defined onto the structure of my own soul building time. I know this great desire to create is what my humanness depends on and I affectionately call those dark areas in me to surface to help me realize that there is a form of sanctuary but not a resolve to that which is beyond me. And in the full face of time what is presented is the frame, the virginal space of the canvas waiting to become alive. Solitude sought by a philosophic heart may mirror and reflect homage to the darkness brought forth with the desire to paint leaving a margin of the symbolic nature of the artist. It can’t help but reveal itself. I am learning always through this process to recognize my creative activity as a means that ultimately leads to growth.

The definition of success through being recognized as a dedicated artist has led me to believe that I should live my life as honestly as possible. That this is the only way I am liberated. Giving me the ability to let loose of that which has been bound by fears of failure. By alienating nature, we have isolated ourselves one from the other and now a large part of life is shackled with loneliness, confusion and a fear of annihilation. I often wonder, is it really foolish to search for a solution to ones raw and untamed nature? Through the darkness into the light of understanding of ones own shadow, there may be a way to grow in cooperation with nature and by relating to this creature with love and acceptance we will be led to trust in life’s own complete and transforming process. I can only hope my work helps to portray this message.

“Evil is the Failure to Meet the Shadow.” -- C.G.Jung