Clarifying the Truth

I would like to take this Post to help clarify the truth to people about Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) and to Share with you my experiences of this wonder cultivation practice.

Firstly, I would like to tell you that Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is not "evil", nor is it a "cult". It is a cultivation practice which is part of the Buddha school, it's guiding principals are "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" which are universal in meaning, the practice works on the mind and the body consisting of 5 basic exercises.

Falun Gong is now practised in over 100 countries world wide. We ask for no money and are happy to teach anyone who would like to learn, we do not fight back when attached but will clarify the truth about things, like what I am doing now.

Secondly, in China, July 1999 practitioners peaceful protested (They sat meditating and holding banners that read 'Falun Dafa is Good' or 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance is Good' ) asking for their right to practise Falun Gong. In response the Chinese Communist Party sent out their arm to arrest the practitioners, this was the start of the suppression of Falun Gong. Over the last 13 years police have illegally arrested and jailed people who have either practised, sheltered or opposed the CCP, they have then beaten, raped, induced forced miscarriages, and sent people to brainwashing centres for rehabilitation. Many families have been torn apparent, children have been orphaned and made homeless due to this persecution.    

Many innocent people have suffered due to lies from the CCP, but also the people of China have been lied to, the world has been lied to by the Chinese Communist Party. With the events now unfolding in China the truth about what the CCP has been doing is coming to light.

Please do not believe what the CCP has been saying about Falun Gong.
For more information on Falun Gong and the persecution visit: http://en.minghui.org/

I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and have been for almost 2 years now, from personal experiences I have found this practise to be the most uplifting and moving of my life. I have found things that deep down I have been looking for all my life, even through my artwork I have not found the wonders which I have done over the past 2 years.

It has opened my mind to the true wonders of the universe, and has given me a feeling of dignity, purpose and an honest direction on which to travel.

One dose not need to practise Falun Gong to see those wonders, I saw them in my mum 3years ago. I watched my mum and other practitioners dressed in shinning Golden clothes doing exercises down on the sea front. The feeling I got that day is one that moved me to want to know more.

I hope that my sharing this and giving you facts as well, will help people to see the truth.

Where to next?

The Show has been a great success, all the Graduating students have amazing work and I wish them all the best for the next stages of their journey.  

It has been an interesting year, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to expanded my knowledge and skills of different ways of creating artwork, and also the joy of seeing how others create and present work.

As much as I have enjoyed the change of working in a more three dimensional way, I have missed creating paintings and textured images.

With the summer almost here the Cornish landscape is reaching one of its most beautiful times of year. Now with a fresh mind and new ideas and approaches I intend to go back to the landscape and explore the wonders that are growing and blooming at this time of year. 

Along with new Idea I have been also able to find myself with access to a studio in my parents back garden. So my aim at this time is to continue creating and exploring the natural landscapes of the area around me, hoping to push my artwork foreword and get a stepping stone into the art world.  

Boxes

Time feels like it's running away from me, can hardly believe this last year is almost finished. I had hoped by this point my ideas would be finished and ready to be in the final stages but as things go, ideas are always in a state of flux and they will change from week to week. 

So far I have one box almost finished which is great and the second is well on it's way just taking time, I've been making lots of butterflies which will be displayed within a box, but until I've finished all of them how they will hang and working out the best way to light them is another matter. 

 

This is a tree which I'm making out of a fiber optic light

Playing with the idea of using foil on the inside to reflect the light around the box.

Still have to work out on hight, think the base will sit in a gap in the box

so that it can be turned on and off from outside the box.

The second box was inspired through the idea and the saying of 'Butterflies in the Belly' I went through a very nervous event which coursed me to feel like I had lots of butterflies all flying around in my belly, and thought this would be a very delicate and beautiful idea to place inside one of the boxes.

This is only a quick sketch idea from the 'Butterflies in my Belly' idea, where by singing, screaming or talking was a way to realized the trapped butterflies.

Inside the box there will be a jar or some sort of container where the butterflies will be emerging from to fill the box. In the process of making a tester from which I can then work things out better. 

Breaking the Mould

Journal entry: Wednesday 26^th Jan 2011

Breaking out of the mould,

My mind is un-folding.

Thoughts flying everywhere,

My world is being turned inside out and upside down.

Breaking out of the mould,

And my whole world has changed.

New ideas, old ones refreshed,

Others fade away or burn to ash.

Breaking out of the mould,

Changing things to make new.

Transforming them from the ash,

Nurturing the new growth.

I am breaking out of my mould,

 I will transform things.

Making a new world of mine,

A world full of life and beauty.

This Is one of a few entries which have helped me with the title and the ideas and design for my end of year show. The idea is something along the lines of 'In side my mind' by creating world that visually express events from the journal I have been keeping. These will be viewed through 'peep hole' styled windows, was insired by Alice in wonderland.  

What is Beauty?

This is an extract from a journal I am keeping and using in relation to studio work. Theis entry came about as I have been looking at the ideas of the Beautiful and Sublime in landscape art, and as a counter part in the contemporary art world, I have also been looking at the ideas of Ugliness in art and where Beauty is today.

Thursday 13^th Jan 2011

For me beauty is something that has been around for longer than we were able to write and even talk. When we talk about beauty we strongly relate it to nature, and qualities which reflect softness, delicacy and many other feminine attributes.  

Beauty is seen in everything and goes much further then just physical appearance, true beauty is when someone has good moral standards, is compassionate, understanding and pure of mind and heart. If you want to find true beauty we look towards nature, as it is untouched by human morals, nature doesn’t hate, kill needlessly, feel envy or jealously, nature has a higher standard then human society dose now a days.

Ugliness can be seen all round, in people’s actions, speech and what is shown in advertisement; it is all about inflaming ones appetite, pushing lust and sexual actions upon us. Art used to have a god like skill to it, artists could show us senses of death, sadness and horror in such a way that people found it beautiful.

WHY! As I said skill, the skill of their craft of painting, it was beautifully painted and captured better than any photograph that it engaged peoples interest although the narrative many have been one of something unpleasant none the less one found pleasure in looking upon it and so was willing to stand there and interact with the work. In most contemporary artwork the artist is showing work in a way which is meant to be found uncomfortable in every way, to the point that many people don’t want to have anything to do with the work, in this way for me the art world has failed, how can one communicate with people when people want nothing to do with them, compromises are made in negotiations to start talk with people that don’t like each other the same egos for art. You find common ground e.g. galleries, ideas of aesthetic interest as starting points. If people don’t want to see something that is uncomfortable then deliver it in a way that they will find interesting, but when everyone does the same thing it loses its charm. If you liked chocolate but you had it at every meal everyday you’d eventually hate it. Art needs diversity to keep things fresh and people interested, change is needed to bring people back to the galleries and then artists with have a chance to be heard again. Right now it’s like shouting at a brick wall with only a few holes.

What about this common ground? The critics and the galleries that were there are now not helping; the common ground has been lost, bigger galleries and critics are not willing to take risks anymore, or talk about NEW sorts of art why? Do they feel ideas of beauty are old? What about the Sublime? The shocking, uncomforting feeling isn’t that getting old now as well? or at least the way in which it is being delivered to the viewer. Change is needed in every area; maybe new artists with new ideas even if they come from old ones, if people are still interested in the old style of art then why not use them as the half way point.     

It will be hard at first, artists will have to run around to get interest in their work again, advertise in small galleries and shows, the more the public can see your work the higher the chances in people finding it and you getting noticed.

I’ve always known that being an artist would be hard, because the work I like and enjoy is work that in the artwork is no longer popular, but the public still likes those things. In my learning I have found that to try and follow the art world leads me to fall apart and dislike my work. I want to be one of those people that change the world, my artwork is how I can do that. It may take my whole life time to achieve, I could be dead by the time I’m ‘famous’ but so were many of those so call historical famous artists, many died poor or famous in other ways, but it was the generation after them that benefited. I wonder what they thought when they were doing there artworks, I’d like to think they didn’t do it for fame or lots money, but because they wanted to show people things in their own way, and that if fame came from that it was a good thing.

I’m not one for competing with people, I do what I like and hope that others like it as well, by writing my thoughts out like this and then working from them I hope to take my own advice in these areas so I can try my hardest and become the person I’d like to be. As long as I feel my work holds meaning and shows skill them I have achieved something, if it doesn’t them why do it?  To be true, good, and endure, these things are the things I hold to y heart, these things are what I want to have in my work.      

Welcome

Hello and welcome

I hope this page proves to be a success for myself, and interesting to view and read.

I am currently studying at Plymouth University and am in my last year on a BA(hons) degree in Fine Art.

Over the last few years my work has meandered through different avenues from spiritual painting, to natural forms and figures and I am now looking into emotions. Up to this point my work has been directly linked to the natural world, drawing on the beauties and the sublime elements that stimulate and surround our ever changing technological world.

Since September 2010, my ideas for where my course work would be leading have changed and have opened new doorways into which I had not thought to travel. Now looking at emotions and how they stimulate creativity within myself, has shown to me that although I might not be drawing or working directly with natural forms, the natural landscape is my greatest tool.

My ideas are now lead me down a road of 3 dimensional works. Using the idea of ‘peep holes’ which I got from ‘Alice in wonderland’ as she looked through the keyhole she found herself looking at a  different world, this is a way for the viewer to look into my boxes and experience the sounds, image or scean within.

These ideas are still being developed but they are very promising, as to how I will be conveying the emotions, this is one matter I am finding more difficult. I have realised that I now have to look at the core things that generate an emotion or feeling and create it in such a way that the viewer can take it in without having to know too much, so it will create the desired reaction.