The Dawning of A Daydream: Deep within an artwork lives a spirit. Such a spirit can be very choosy as to who it’s willing to reveal itself to. Don’t be too critical or hard on yourself if it’s reluctant to present itself in such a way that you can spiritually connect with it.

Here is an inside tip on how you and I can connect with a painting’s elusive spirit. This actually works with any visual art.

Number one: be self-aware. It’s important not to be anxious or distracted. You need to work with a centered and relaxed mind so your own spirit is comfortable.

Number two: be still as you look at the art. Don’t rush. The spirits that live in every work of art need to feel that you are at ease and are ready to receive the message it would like to put forth and share with you.

Number three: as you view and ponder what you have before you, your brain will automatically make suggestions and cause you to read things into the painting that you may have experienced before. That’s a good thing because you are now laying the groundwork for what ultimately will come.

Number four: after all of those initial impressions you’ll begin to notice that they start to fade away, and the real nature of the artwork will begin to push itself toward you. That is the spirit that lives in nearly every work of art wanting to be recognized.

Number five: you’re on your way at this point to totally move into the work of art. Look deeper and deeper until you start to understand the synergy between the colors and all of the various brushstrokes and their shapes. Once you reach that point your subconscious mind and your conscious mind will bathe in the spirit energy. If everything is working properly it will become stronger and stronger until you have thoroughly made the connection.

Number six: you will know if it’s real to you or not. It may take more than one visual trip to the artwork before you have the optimal connection. But trust me it will happen, and when you achieve this ability, you can apply it to every work of art you see. The trick is to give yourself the time and learn to trust what you see and feel.

Is this spirit stuff in a painting all of this a bunch of foolishness crafted by me the artist to seduce you into actually taking the time to explore the work of art? Well maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t, you’ll have to be the judge. But please consider this, ever since the cave paintings that early man enshrined on the walls of caves; it would not be hard to understand that those first known artists felt spirits were living in the animals they painted. So they transferred the animal spirits by rendering them on cave walls. Throughout all of history, art has been used to engage with the spiritual side of humanity. So from my perspective, it’s not a terribly big reach to consider the fact that whenever you look at a work of art something takes place. And to suggest that there is a spirit or spiritual connection is not senseless or contrary to what our imaginations are capable of revealing.

“The spirit that lived in the painting before me was elusive, it would only reveal itself

to my subconscious mind.”

 

Rod Jones Artist-Writer