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EARLY ON
As a young child, I delighted in creating Christmas cards for my family. I would create little scenes of snow-covered houses and add a touch of magic by gluing glitter to the snow. To my amazement, the painted snow reflected light just like real snow. My family loved these cards.
Later, during my time at art school, I learned the art of painting and drawing light and shadow. This skill was crucial for creating depth in a two-dimensional world, and it remains a fundamental aspect of my teachings today. The ability to manipulate light and shadow gives a sense of volume to a piece, fooling our inherently human perception into seeing a three-dimensional illusion on a flat surface. This is how we perceive.
LIGHTING SPECIALIST
Initially, I took a job as an assistant at a lighting showroom, thinking it would be temporary until I had my own studio. However, I soon discovered a genuine fascination with lighting and decided to take a test to become a Lighting Specialist. I enjoyed advising clients on lighting options and immersing myself in the world of retail.
Gradually, I began to see the importance of light in my work as an artist. When sculpting a horse, for example, it became crucial to consider how light would illuminate the three-dimensional object. In my paintings, I realized that light could infuse two-dimensional surfaces in two distinct ways. First, by using light and dark colors to depict light and shadow in a traditional manner. And second, by using colors themselves to transition from light to dark, creating a different kind of light and shadow effect. As I explored the techniques and concepts from art history, such as the use of grids and the depiction of light and shadow to suggest space, my art truly came to life with mesmerizing effects.
HISTORY OF DEPICTED LIGHT
The emphasis on light and shadow in art has not always been the norm. Throughout various cultures, from primitive societies to medieval times in Western civilization, there was little concern for creating depth and dimension. Icons and religious images, which served as symbolic representations of deities and social concepts, did not require the illusion of space, light, and shadow.
It was during the Renaissance that artists began exploring perspective and the interplay of light and shadow. They constructed large glass panes, frequently on wheels, and drew grids on the surface. By looking through this grid at their subjects, whether a landscape, a group of figures, or a single figure, they could capture the objects’ positions in space and transfer them onto a two-dimensional plane. It was essential to remain still during this process, as even the slightest movement could alter the view through the grid and distort the subject. Artists like Michelangelo, DaVinci, and Albrecht Durer, who used this grid method, observed how objects receded into the distance, becoming smaller in precise increments. This understanding of objects diminishing in size as they move further away became a mathematical calculation, blending art and science in true Renaissance fashion.
This approach to creating the illusion of a third dimension using grids to locate objects and convey them onto a flat surface has become the foundation of how we perceive the world today. Whether it’s through magazines, videos, movies, or online platforms, we never question our visual immersion in this two-dimensional illusion. Our responses to what we see, both consciously and subconsciously, hold incredible power. A horror film can instill fear deep enough to affect our behavior for years to come, while a beautiful scene in a film or a magazine can stimulate and calm us with nostalgic memories. We are true believers in this illusion, and we absorb visual stimuli in extraordinary ways.
FUTURE REVELATIONS
Throughout my thirty years of teaching art, working as a lighting specialist, and pursuing my own artistic creations, I’ve come to realize that light is an inherently personal and influential force in my life. Through my interactions with students and clients, I’ve witnessed firsthand how profoundly light impacts all of us. Though I haven’t conducted scientific research on the matter, I can confidently say that light affects us more than we realize. The quality of light in a workspace influences our productivity, and the lighting choices in our homes significantly shape how we engage with our surroundings. These insights have been gleaned from years of consulting and receiving positive feedback from my clients.
I believe that our perception of events in our lives, particularly as we age, is undeniably influenced by illumination. In our early human development, the rising and setting of the sun held significant spiritual and practical significance. Many cultures, like those centered around Stonehenge or the ancient Peruvian Indians, revolved around the movements of the sun. The advent of artificial lighting has expanded our world, allowing us to work and create at all hours, but it has also demystified the sun’s dominion over our lives. This cultural shift should not be underestimated.
Now, at the age of 70, I reflect on how light, in its many forms, has guided every step of my existence. While preparing my artwork for a degree show at Pratt Institute, for instance, I carved shapes out of old doors and sprayed iridescent paint into the crevices. By shining black lights on these structures, I aimed to create a juxtaposition of the medieval figures carved from the doors and contemporary backlighting. There was a spiritual essence reminiscent of the Middle Ages, where light emanated from within the church, rather than entering from outside through stained glass windows.
Since then, light has played a crucial role in all of my artistic endeavors. Whether I’m working with collage, printmaking, oil painting, watercolor, acrylics, mixed media, quilts, or even artful apparel, light is always at the forefront of my explorations.
My belief is that light is not only a life-generating force but also a primal and spiritual presence that permeates our beings. We have grown so comfortable with its existence that we often overlook its profound impact. However, if we take just twenty minutes to sit in a corner of a room and observe the interplay of light on various objects, we can truly begin to comprehend its transformative qualities. Perhaps through this observation, we will gain a deeper understanding of light perception, and how it defines inspiration, spiritual connections, realizations, and the progression of creative thought and action.
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