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Our internal landscape
Venice or Paris for some, the mountains or the desert for others. There is a place we call home, completely unrelated to the accidents of birth and nationality. It is that place where, when you get there, you know that you have come home. Where you feel guilty about being there at all, and where at the same time, you hate those infernal tourists. Objectively, there is no such place as Venice. The only Venice that ever existed, and ever shall exist, is known subjectively. Even the Doge in all his glory has no more claim to it than any of us. That Venice which we claim as ours, is the Venice which is known, and has been known by nobody else but us. The Venice that Titian knew has never been known by anybody else, and the Venice that Sargent knew was his alone. It exists in their consciousness and in their art, where we can enter into it. Our true home is a creation of pure consciousness, peopled by mysterious and unknowable creatures who are yet our intimate companions. But we have to connect to it, not ever to know it, but to be lost in it. To lose ourselves in ourselves. This was why I felt the need to go to Venice this winter, and why I feel that I am home, also here in the summer heat of Simon's Town. This is why we are born: to find our home; and with grace, with our dreams, to decorate it a little. Uprising
As serious artists and lovers of art, we often feel that we stand alone. No longer. If you believe in art which is based on skill, on integrity, on human values and on passion, I have started a Facebook group called Uprising. Join it here.
4-day portrait workshopFrom Tuesday 31 March to Friday, 3 April, I shall be presenting an oil painting portrait workshop at the Simon's Town Library. Each day will have two sessions of 2 hours, with tea and lunch. We start at 9:30 and finish at 3:30. If you are interested in attending this workshop, please email me at ryno@artistvision.org or phone me at (021) 786 3975. CornucopiaWe are living in a universe of plenty. Every bird has a nest, every rabbit a hole. Air and water cleanse themselves in an infinite cycle. Temperature,seasons, and tides are regulated by sun and moon. Every new day is announced by the symbol of beauty and love, Venus. The rainbow represents the free gift of colour vision to humankind. The love that flows towards us and through us, is unending and unlimited. And beauty! in Venice, beauty is like a flood, often swirling round your ankles, while raining from above. So much joy! When recently, somebody asked about artists' block, this was my response: Painter's block, like writer's block, can only affect you if you are trying to conjure up something out of nothing, to act the creator. If you look around you, at nature, at society, at patterns of light, at all great art throughout history; it is literally impossible to be blocked. If for some reason like depression, you are worried that you may one day find yourself blocked, keep an ideas book, and sketch or write down projects that you would love to do some day, but which, because of time constraints, you cannot get to it right now. I made a folder like that when I started painting full time, but I have never had time to go back, even to one of them, and that sketchbook is now a source of amusement and inspiration to me of the plentiful nature of consciousness. Kalk Bay sunriseAt the moment the sun rises at about 6:40 a.m. If anybody would like to paint the sunrise from Kalk Bay harbour, you should be there at 6 on Thursday mornings. I intend to be there as well, but only from time to time, and I hope to see you there. You can exchange phone numbers and emails through me. |
In this issueWebsiteWorkshopsFor details on workshops and classes in Cape Town and Europe, click here ArchivePrevious newsletters. If you have friends who think our way, you can forward up to five copies. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, simply reply to this email, and I shall add you to my list. |
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