Notes
The Black Hole
F or some time I had been toying with the idea of painting ‘the black hole’. Numerous variations on the theme had already passed in revue. The fact was that I felt diffident about starting. I did not dare to start, was afraid of being drawn into an eerie area where I would rather not go. One day – however - I got an inspiration to go to my studio and just start. My intention was, to let the work emerge as it comes without a preconceived plan: only focussed on the process and my experience.
Can you see with your inner eyes? And how do you translate into images - while listening to the Silence - what cannot be understood.
Experiment
On a square canvas a black circle was drawn exactly in the centre, containing a spiral from the outside to the inside. I soon – however -dropped that idea: the black hole asked for formlessness. It was surrounded by a dynamically circling outer space. It felt like the infinity of the universe, full of movement and energy. I was happy that I had succeeded and I thought that I was done with it. But no, it felt too far away; I was still too much of a spectator. The invitation arose to actually go through the black hole.
Through the black hole
On a similar canvas I ‘dove’ into the black hole while painting. This time not a single boundary, just brush strokes from watery to more and more substance the direction of which was determined at that moment. How formless, how deep, how black could I go? It was exciting to do this, to let go of everything and only focus on the process. While painting I noticed how pleasant it was to push out my possibilities and me, as the colourist I am, let myself be carried away into the darkest black. It even sometimes felt sacred.
What I now know about it on an inner level…. The seemingly black hole is always moving and leading to one point. It is definitely not a place to stay! Presence defines the speed of ‘falling’. The black hole does not swallow up but ‘cleans’ (from pollution to cleaning). Unconscious layers that hinder me become ‘visible’ and I noticed that it continues to work.
It is remarkable that the works described above are still coarse in the brush stroke: the paintings that followed became more and more refined. All these small circles are painted by hand, searching for the right balance, they seemed to find their shape and place themselves.
After the panting Into The Black, I made the same inner journey of discovery in white. That gave a completely different translation: spirited, festive and very open. Both paintings have a dual experience: stillness that goes deep versus a subtle dynamic full of potential that seems infinite.
Into the Black >
Into the White >
