I’ve been reading a couple of books from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s about art, society, human cognition, and abstraction.

One thing I find interesting about cultural writing from this time is that there seems to be much more of a wholistic account of how world culture plays into American culture.

I suppose because this was the cusp right before we solidified the myth of American individualism and inherent artistic genius.

Art has always served a spiritual purpose though. And it exists within a worldwide lineage that pulls upon hundreds of thousands of years of history.

Art at its essence I would define as the physical manifestation of a meditation and connection with the Divine.

That’s how you can tell the difference between what is art and what is mirroring as art. There is something about Art that is unexplainable and pulls at your soul. Something that grasps at the very essence of what it means to be human, to be conscious, and to know that the greatest possession we can ever have, is life itself.

I made this painting yesterday (July 13) after my own little meditation on this.

There were storm clouds in the sky about to converge at my location and I almost didn’t start it. But something spoke to me and said there is always time to have a conversation with the Divine.

I put down the last brushstroke right as the first raindrops started to fall and enjoyed the rest of the shower from under the cover of a picnic pavilion.

That’s what I love about Plein air painting, it connects you with the world, with nature, and with your inner self.

“A Spiritual world subject to physical laws”
2024
Oil on canvas panel
10 x 8 inches
(Plus cedar shelf)