Statement
My
painting is an offering of appreciation for the precious opportunity to
be present in a human body on this wonderful life-sustaining planet.
The natural world is an immeasurable resource and a healing sanctuary.
For me, it conveys immensity, power, impermanence, and re-connection
with our true spiritual nature of primordial wakefulness, clarity, and
spaciousness.
The fine art of being present to this nature is the guiding principle in
my art. I hope these paintings invoke a sense of peace, stillness, and
equanimity.
I paint
on location and in the studio. Composition provides structure for the
image. Value, temperature, edges, and color are important elements, but
it is the quality of light, which conveys the mood, tone, or “essence”
of a scene. I hold this “essence” in my minds eye, allowing flexibility
for the painting to take on a life of its own. Each work is a leap into
the unknown, a fresh start. The process unfolds organically like a
dance: leading, following, listening for what is needed, and getting out
of the way.
Pastel, my primary medium, is pure dry pigment with enough binder to
hold into sticks that range from hard to very soft. It is the same
pigment used to make fine art paints (oil and watercolor), and is the
most permanent of all medial.
I love pastel for the amazing and unique qualities of luminosity that
can be achieved by applying multiple layers of pigment (consisting of
very fine crystals) onto lightly sanded paper, which gives it the
ability to blend optically in the viewers eye in beautiful and
surprising ways. It allows me to express my vision in a primal and
direct manner like the ancient cave painters of Lascaux, transmitting
the human spirit through touch using charcoal and pure pigments from the
earth in an unbroken lineage from their time to ours.
Each painting is a leap into the unknown, a fresh start. There is no
road map or set formula. It presents its own demands, challenges,
conditions, and calls for unique responses. Leading, listening,
following, the process unfolds organically like a dance.
Sausalito
- Tim Brody Artist