Memories form a large part of any art creation and getting into the right frame of mind or flow has been the subject of a lot of the research that went into my books Gleaner or Gladiator: The Struggle to Create and Invisible Realities: Finding the Hidden Dimensions in Art. My recent entry in the Flying Arts Award came out of memories of my childhood on a then isolated island off the Queensland Coast. The entry was to be about connection and I wrote in my statement ..
‘ all passionate artists are lead to search for their own marks, to place the beating of their own hearts on paper and canvas. This is to trust the spiritual connection we have to life, to go back to the basics of our own backyard. Here we find the nature that resides in our humaneness, our souls’ creative destiny. This painting, My Island Home, came unexpectedly from childhood memories and reflects the years spent on the beaches of Bribie Island. This was a time of absence as I was missing my fisherman father as he worked at sea. The bridge, silent in the background, came later to connect us all to the mainland.’
At the time of painting I did not know where the work was leading so it was interesting to witness once again my belief that tapping into the super conscious level of the mind is a necessary part of any creative activity. You will find articles on this blog that address this topic in more detail.
My Island Home 122 x90 cm acrylic on canvas
