Samskara (study 01). 13x10 inches. 2010.
Lately I’ve been exploring the idea of chance encounters and controlled responses... I’m fascinated by the way in which the human condition (both on the macro level of a larger culture and at the micro level of the individual) is basically characterized by habitual responses to various unpredictable situations. We tend to live in a state of inertia until some cathartic event causes us to change our path, usually for only a short time. At some point when we’re not paying attention, we tend to revert to our old way of doing things.
According to yogic philosophy, this repetitious cycle of behaviors (called samskara) is caused by the karma we’ve created for ourselves. We must necessarily continue in this Groundhog Day scenario until we finally learn the lessons that bring about lasting positive change.
Samskara (study 02). 13x10 inches. 2010.
These new paintings are my first attempt to convey the process of releasing karma — not from a judgmental point of view — but more from an observational standpoint. Perhaps it is an illustration of the constant trial and error we all experience through the waves of life and the occasional breakthrough to something more free, more creative, and more aware.
These paintings are the small sketches (the ones that fit on my scanner)... I have some bigger ones in process that I’ll post eventually... when I finally get my stuff over to the photographer. (He gives me a discount when I have a bigger batch of stuff to shoot, so I need to keep making more stuff!)
