The Path to Uncertainty
The Path to Uncertainty
I spent hours on an image yesterday. It was actually two images. I was blending them for a project with the working title Far East Journey. The title reflects the project’s subject and my deep dive into Asian art styles and aesthetics.
I’ve been working on this project for nearly a year. I don’t really know when, or if, it will ever be complete.
Forest Spirit 26126MIBGFC_4x3
Sumi-e is an ink-wash painting technique rooted in Zen Buddhism and practiced by Japanese painting masters. Sumi-e focuses on capturing a subject's essence rather than literal realism. Most Sumi-e prints are monochrome, though they occasionally use accent colors. Two photographs are blended and edited to achieve a similar look and feel. In this case, the flowering tree is a rhododendron photographed in the California Redwood forest. The background is an in-camera movement (ICM) image of a rock wall taken in Tonopah, Nevada.
That’s the thing about projects like this; they tend to take on a life of their own. Just when I think I’ve learned what I need to know about the subject and have amassed plenty of images, something happens. Another rabbit hole appears, and down, down I go.
I tell my students: create a soft project timeline but a hard drop-dead date. I should follow my own advice. Just one more book to read. Just one more field session. Just a few more hours behind the computer. If allowed, this cycle of one more will never end.
Here’s the kicker. I opened that same image the next day and had an epiphany. What if I …… down the rabbit hole again. But I tell myself: this time is different. I’m sure this new idea will enhance the image and the project. And so it goes.
The strange thing is, I’m clear about the project’s direction. I can see the final set of images hanging for exhibition. Unfortunately, clarity of thought doesn’t always translate into reality. Put another way, I know exactly where I want the project to go, but I’m not certain I can get there.
Uncertainty and doubt are part of being a creative artist.
The creative process is full of twists and turns. Some days, the objective is clear. Other days, the whole process seems to collapse on itself. One day the sandcastle stands tall, sturdy, and nearly complete. The next day the tide comes in, and it’s just a pile of sand.
I’ve learned to navigate these ups and downs. Sometimes it helps to set the troublesome project aside and work on another. Other times, a long walk without thinking about the work helps. So long as the creative process moves forward inch by inch, it has a chance.
As the day comes to a close, I transform the image. I’m one step closer to completion, that is, so long as I don’t have another epiphany!
I’m going for a walk.
Steve
Self Exile 26123MIBGFC_3x2
Politics, religion, and power are three common forces that shape artists and their work. As Chinese dynasties shifted, artists had to balance loyalty to the old dynasty with the need to adapt their practices to survive. Some retreated to the mountains in protest. This self-imposed exile gave them the freedom to practice their craft and, in some cases, to create art that expressed displeasure with the new ruling government. I suppose little has changed over the centuries! This multiple-image blend is intended to depict the aesthetic style of master Chinese painters.
