#465 Expect Nothing
Larger Image.
11″ x 8.5″ image on 13″ x 19″ archival mat paper.
A vigorous time with digital lead pencil.
Later
In the comments below Jan asked how it might look in negative. Here it is – with a little sepia thrown in. Better if you ask me. Thanks Jan.
Interesting. As I said, I haven’t done this one yet, but I don’t think it will be similar in the way both of our “I am stopping” ones were. I do get it though, yes, and the more I think about it I get the circle center – I might have to have one of those – I’m wondering how this image would look in negative?
Jan, interesting! I did not want to look at yours first, and I have no plan. I have been interested in just using “pencil” so that was a brief I gave myself, but the rest emerged. It began by flicking the expectations out from my focus so all the lines were drawn from the centre out. Once I started it was quite therapeutic to flick away expectations.
I am going to make a negative & I will edit the post to show it.
I love it Walter! This one really gives me that sense/feeling – I expect nothing. And it feels light as a feather, which is the intention of the incantation. Thanks for doing this!
Just read your comment. Flicking away expectations. Isn’t it wonderful how the act of creating can do so much. I like to rabbit on about how the process of creating visual art (and looking at it) can access parts of the brain that are not language based. Now, I feel a little vulnerable posting such an idea (me totally untrained appart from pop-psychology) on your (I assume trained to the max) blog. But I’d be interested to hear what you think of that without having to read your other blog which assumes a certain level of prior knowledge and has way too many words for a mere visual artist!
I am interested that we are brining images to the incantation, while Eric Maisel advocates having thoughts without images. To unclutter the mind.
Zen (I use the term colloquially as I have never had one moment of Zen practice) has a minimalist quality, but there are images that have that too. Paul Reps.
There is something in psychotherapy and also in art that can’t be taught… it can be fostered, noticed & valued. I suppose that is good teaching anyway.