I have an everlasting fascination with the way our minds recognise patterns, even in chaos. Without this we would not have art, writing, or see Jesus in pieces of toast. We strive to see order in chaos and our minds form recognisable shapes even in the most abstract patterns. ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on...

This first piece of art is something of a pilot – a proof of concept, if you will. It consists of 486 unique, abstract symbols, each drawn by hand using a hand-made bamboo pen and permanent ink, onto a sheet of A2 paper. The piece was created over several days, with only a few icons being drawn at each session.

What do they mean?

Each icon is an entirely random doodle, conceived at the moment of completing the previous one. There are repeating shapes and elements, some of which are deliberate, but others evolved and appeared as the work progressed and the need to find new shapes and patterns became an increasing challenge.

If you look at the piece for more than a second or two, you will begin to recognise some of the icons elements. In fact, your mind will crave that recognition, searching for shapes that resemble familiar objects or ideas with which you associate. But they are just random shapes, lines, dots on a sheet of paper.

That is what this and the subsequent pieces are all about.

But there’s another layer to this

My initial plan was to hammer out this first piece, work at it until it was complete. But after a few rows I realised I was beginning to repeat certain shapes, or at least had to fight the urge to do so.

In a flip-side to you looking at the icons searching for meaning, I found myself instinctively basing icons on the everyday thoughts skipping through my head. My mind was trying to inject meaning into what should be just random icons. Fascinating.

Hence my decision to draw them in brief bursts of 20-30. I avoided struggling with repetition and my mind did not drop into a daydreaming state to influence the icons. Still, some repeating elements only appear part way down the page, while others disappear after several rows.

…and another

I can almost tell each drawing session by the style of the icons. Though unencumbered by influences from stray thoughts, I could not avoid influence from my overall state of mind. Sometimes passive, sometimes stressed, sometimes frustrated, you get the picture.

Icons in each session seem to reflect that, on a very subtle level of course. When tense or frustrated, for example, I would take less care in loading the pen nib correctly with ink (one loading lasts but one icon), so lines tend to be thicker and flow into other lines due to the amount of ink being placed. Other, early morning icons tend to have a less certain hand with shapes that do not quite close or that break over the defined boundary.

What’s next?

I have a string of ideas along similar lines. From much larger pieces (same size icons), to sheets with just one icon, to sheets that do reflect actual ideas and object, to icons that are based on stories, books, songs.

So far this first piece has taken me on a very unexpected journey. What was to be simply a grid of random little shapes, became a surprisingly expressive process. I’m sure there are more surprises to come.

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Learning and discovery are what drive me to get up in the morning. Once life gets down to mundane routine, I start to feel very uncomfortable. Art is playing an increasingly significant part in (almost) day-to-day life now – in part thanks to the Pet Portraits, etc. – so I thought it was time to explore other aspects of artistic work. ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on...

I have always wanted to explore more abstract works, and having not made it to art college – I aimed myself firmly in the direction of the graphic arts at the time – I have never really got around to experimenting.

Thanks to the book Abstract Painting by Rolina van Vliet, we now have many weeks of unique projects to work through. The book walks through abstract principles of composition and colour – and breaking such forms – through a series of guided exercises. Each exercise aimed at  experimenting with one particular technique, be it paint or drawing medium, colour, composition, texture, etc.

The initial project was so rewarding to the two of us, we decided to create a little website to document each project and post up our works side by side for all to see and comment. The site at Doing Stuff, presents our personal experiences and thoughts about each work, but does not say which of us produced which piece. We thought it might be fun to have visitors guess who did what, and already the results are intriguing. I hope friends and all will continue to follow the site and comment/guess each week.

I don’t like rules

That is perhaps the main realisation I have stumbled on now that I have worked the sixth project this weekend. Most so far have developed along the lines of:

1. Follow the directions while feeling increasing animosity towards the developing image
2. Try to beat back the urge to release whatever is bubbling to the surface
3. Plod along, following the instructions until something snaps
4. Respond to the urge, let out a surge of energy, and create something that is bordering on satisfactory

(One such surge-release ended up in a dead canvas, ripped and splattered with black paint!)

What I am learning is that there is something instinctive that gets released when painting like this. I’m not saying these surges of energy produce masterpieces, but they do reflect elements of what I am feeling and how I am reacting to the creative process. It’s uncomfortable, disconcerting, exhausting, but fascinating, and I am intrigued to see where it will eventually lead.

I don’t know how to handle acrylics

That’s the second realisation. I do have an excuse, having not touched acrylic paint since I was in school; I’m just a tad rusty! How artists cope with working wet-on-wet on large canvasses, I’ll never know. There are drying retarders and other techniques, but the paint still requires very different, and more spontaneous working style compared to oils.

That goes a little against my inclination to consider a painting’s development. It means that the work must generally be completed in a single sitting – at least if I want paint to mix with other paint on the canvas itself.

Oils, for example, allow time to sit and ponder the next stroke, to examine the work as it progresses and direct it based on developing ideas. Acrylics bring out the spontaneous in me, which though bursting with far greater energy, does leave me rather deflated afterwards.

The result perhaps is that I will ultimately select the medium based on the image I want to create. If that is what I learn from these exercises, then it is a valuable and ultimately productive lesson.

Go make a guess

The first project is up on the site, and a few guesses as to who produced which piece have already been left. No clues, but it is fascinating to read why a particular individual matched which piece with which artist. Above all, it is fun, so if you have not commented already, get yourself over there and make your guess!

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Today came the very pleasing announcement it will be released as Version 1.0 next week. ---- All rights reserved. nd.com Read on...

Beyond the basic principles, GTD can be administered to the chronically overwhelmed in a whole host of different flavours. I found Things to fit my needs more closely than any other solution I could find.

GTD is all about reducing task overload stress through getting the task list out of one’s head, and managing them, not based on traditional priorities, but on what needs doing and when. When applied correctly, GTD helps to remove the noisy, cluttered task list and helps maintain forward momentum across all your projects.

Don’t get wrapped up in how

The biggest danger with GTD is that without actively managing one’s own methods, the process of applying GTD consumes more time than the tasks themselves!

I liked Things the moment I started using it in early beta. The interface is uncluttered and has a unique way to focus on specific projects or tasks, removing what is unnecessary at that moment. It’s by no means perfect, but I believe is far stronger than other standalone GTD applications out there. Well, proof is in the pudding – I get stuff done.

The addition of a free $9.99 iPhone version that automatically synchronises with the desktop application is also a bonus. Task management is a little clunky there due to the iPhone’s UI restrictions, but as a supplement to the main app, it is ideal.

Get a 20% discount code

Things 1.0 will be on sale for $49.95, and there’s a very well priced family pack multi license option.
Use the coupon: THINGSPRESALE20 to get a 20% discount, valid until January 15th 2009.

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TABLE RAPPERS – PERSISTENT SPIRIT

CHAPTER7

Keynes attempts to discover the devious plans of Barnaby Finch, meets another face from his past, and returns one last time to hunt through the University records.

Story running time: 22 minutes
Total running time: 37 minutes

Available from TableRappers.com or here:

Or you can listen right here

If you have a podcast or a website, please play the audio promo and promote Persistent Spirit. Send me your promo and I will play it in return. TableRappers audio promos

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