WISDOM AT THE CROSSROADS PODCAST.

”Every journey begins with a single step”

In this one we get a little primal, we explore first steps on some big new panels on the paint wall and take an exhilarating trip through the process of marks and the making.

The legacy of creators through generations of history, thought and process became the focus of travels in real time through the Art Gallery of Ontario during a recent visit.

How great is it to get out of town, to explore Art and history, to be inspired and curious and to make connections to the past, to wonder about the lives of others in different times?

Like many of our mindful moments the meditation in this episode is a virtual experience we explore together.
Getting cosy and curious we are encouraged to consider the marks that are left behind, the marks we are making in the moment and what future marks might become our legacy

Beginnings on the paint wall are fast and fluid and really get my creative juices flowing. This large pair, Wisdom/ Inner Resources, are 3’ x 4’ each so together make quite a statement. I don’t know where they will take me or how they will end up but I am looking forward to adding to their creative journey after this blog is posted. Hopefully they will be finished in time for my show “SPRING FLING” at THE PULSE GALLERY, April 1-30 at Johnson Terminal at The Forks in Winnipeg.

Art-y-Facts…

I hope all is well in your world and that if you are local you might even have an opportunity to get to a warmer climate for a winter getaway
I, sadly, do not have plans for a warm beach walk right now but the potential for a virtual one is always on the back burner for me, particularly when the mercury drops so severely as it has lately where I live.

I’m calling todays episode “Arty facts” because it was inspired by both work and travel
At the studio I was most recently underpainting two large birch panels (see above) 3 x 4 feet each
I love the beginnings where I have no attachment to an outcome
Where I tune into a primitive part of myself and fully immerse myself in the process of adding paint to a surface. The concept of tuning into a more primal part of ourselves is what inspires the meditation later in this episode.

Interior staircase by Frank Gehry, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada.
This sensuous interior wooden staircase is a stunner. Seeing it does not do it justice. The experience of function defies the perception of materials. We all should be so lucky to experience the work of Frank Gehry.

Get out of town!

Getting away without an agenda and a view to discovery recently took me to Toronto. I don’t know about you but my first port of call in any unfamiliar city is always to the largest gallery I can find. In Toronto it’s the Art Gallery of Ontario that I go first.

The galleries of the AGO became my temporary office as I opened myself to seeing.
I love to view life in its details, to witness snippets of humanity, to experience marks made by another hand, sometimes, centuries ago.
When I walk along our beach at the lake I find each different trek inspires the gathering of a particular type of stone or shell. One day colour might be my focus on another the shape of a stone or the texture of a lucky rock might be what comes home in the palm of my hand.

On this particular visit to the gallery I was attracted to patterns, the patterns of process and patterns made with different materials, by the hand of makers sometimes centuries apart.

What do you look for when you enter a museum or Gallery?
My focus narrowed as I was led through halls to dedicated spaces, where I was mindful of mark making and drawn into journeys that rode the energy of the brushstroke, telling stories of the past that now so fully fuelled my present.

Marks that have become a permanent document of a moment of someone’s physical presence in time.

Frank Ghery: Facade Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Architecture is another story I find fascinating. The How’s and the Why’s combined with the engineering feats that harmonize, contrast, unify and expand structures in our urban spaces.

A Journey through history…

The Middle Ages inspire me every time. I imagine I spent a past life involved with illuminated manuscripts .

i find I am drawn to particular items within the exhibits and I try to follow the unspoken cues that lead me into the clues they share that develop into stories in my thoughts
I always leave inspired and full of questions. On this particular visit I wondered about the artistic statement made by an anonymous scribe on a large ceramic platter in 1370 and how this token of creative energy had survived history unscathed.
How did it find its way to this moment to be held preciously behind glass and within my gaze. How many eyes have feasted on its delicate, rhythmic marks? How many more will also be touched by the enormity of this feat in the future?
As my travels through curated spaces continued I found gold bouillon with impersonal utilitarian marks stamped centuries ago, and glass dated as early as AD 70, fragile hand crafted miracles of survival that resonate with luminosity as the elements impact their delicate exterior surfaces

This medieval platter was dated at 1370. I can’t help but to wonder about the anonymous maker whose marks have been salvaged from another age. An artifact like this one gets me curious. I can’t help but to be drawn into potential narratives that might explain the life of the artist and the world they lived in. How do these graphic marks on ceramics survive the adventures of history unscathed?

At the Art Gallery of Ontario…

I bonded with Canadians: David Milne, AY Jackson, JEH MacDonald, Tom Thomson and studied the marks they made and allocated to landscapes, observed the details they used to describe the elements, curated into compositions that hobbled together from the colours on their palette to express the energy of a moment.

At the AGO the physical structure of the space was equally inspiring. Centuries of architectural thought and practice merged to curate space and light and accommodate growing and expanding collections
Frank Ghery’s internal staircase drew me literally on a circuitous route to the apex of the building. It is a celebration of craftsmanship, engineering and design. The sensuous utilitarian curves lead us through layers of history and expression
The view from the top of the stairs offered the reward for our efforts with views across the city that echoed the merger of old and new, contrast and uniformity and shared connections to the past that are still respected in the present.

”On our travels along our daily paths or the circuitous routes we wander when exploring a new place or site we are offered an opportunity to see and to connect to the world and ourselves.”

On my visit to the art gallery of Ontario that day I was inspired to admire and imagine, to think and to wonder and to bring that curiosity into my own experience of the human condition.
The game I played took me into the artists thoughts where their distinct marks revealed themselves as moments of expression that captured, recreated or explored the essence of a subject.
How does your journey evolve when you visit other cities? Is it to a gallery that you go? The mall? The countryside? What gets you thinking?

Tom Thomson Winter Sketch on cigar box lid, AGO, above.
Creativity and painting in particular are my favourite route to presence. The process of painting quiets me as it draws me in to the action of problem solving in colour. Engaged, painting, time can literally fly by.
Tom Thomson was clearly present in his travels into the Canadian wilderness. His expert marksmanship with colour and line is undeniable.

Our Self Care Practice…

I am fascinated with marks and the making of marks, curious about the choices artists make as they make their unique marks. Sometimes I wonder why my own marks are what they are and why they aren’t more like yours or theirs?
In our meditation practice today I invite you to join me on a journey that will encourage us to explore the making of marks and maybe even inspire us to think of the marks we have left behind in the past, the ones we are making in the present, and maybe even what future marks we’ll be inspired to create.

Like all of our mindful moments this one is a virtual experience
You need only a comfortable spot to rest and relax and the ability to pause the business of your day for a few minutes of self care.

David Milne Trees above.

In this episode the meditation is an invitation to revisit a more primitive part of ourselves. You are welcome to explore your own memories as you relax and listen in on the recording or you can choose to accompany me as I share a personal moment with marks and the making.
In the episode I reconnect with much younger version of myself. This part of me is aware and curious and excited to explore and discover

I hope you will choose to listen in on the recording to take a virtual pause with me.

Early marks on a new painting above are free and fluid and all about getting a feel for materials on a surface with no attachment to outcome…or even a plan, if i am honest. I strive to let go of ego and reconnect with the primitive part of myself that feels, as my younger self did, an instinctive connection to paint on a surface.

As a painter I have the privilege of revisiting moments of process and curiously regularly
If you haven’t had an opportunity to invite your inner child out to play with colour , what are you waiting for?
I would encourage you to give your self permission to try it once in a while. You might be surprised at how much you will like it.

Thanks for listening in…

Our time together is coming to an end for the time being. If you have enjoyed our time together or have found something that resonates for you within my stories I hope you will return to your favourite episodes regularly, or consider sharing with a friend. I appreciate you listening in to this podcast and joining in on the visual journey with me here on the blog. I hope the images are helpful and that you are finding something of your story within mine.

So, until next time, be you and be well.

With gratitude as always,

Amanda

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