Chi, Energy, and Painting

Have you ever felt drawn to a particular painting, sculpture, or handmade thing but you weren't quite sure why? It could be that the item was made by an artist who infused his or her chi into the work. The spirit energy per say of the artist; focused emotional energy implanted in the piece while it was being made. The artist puts an impression of his spirit and mental energy into the work.

Even with all the best technique in the world, a painting that lacks chi also lacks a certain vitality, that kind of ephemeral underlying energy that draws me to some work. This idea makes me think of this quote from painter Francis Bacon:

"I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail leaving its trail of the human presence... as a snail leaves its slime." - Francis Bacon

In Hindu culture this idea of energy is called prana, which translates literally to life-force and is involved with the practice of yoga. This energy also plays a vital role in Asian medicine, and in Chinese calligraphy painting. They believe that chi, also sometimes referred to as ki, qi, or gi, is in every living thing. It is like an energy flow or simply life energy.

QiGong is a systematic method of working with the qi energy of the body, (QiGong translates to breath work or energy work) and is related to the practice of infusing calligraphy with qi energy. Breathing that correlates with the brushstrokes and the flow of energy is what can infuse the calligraphy with the artist's chi. The main principles of calligraphy are: good tools (paper, brush, ink), a good posture, your emotions synergized with the brushstroke, balance, and rhythm.

The concept of chi is not dissimilar to what physics tells us - that everything is comprised of atoms; of energy. Although some physicists probably frown upon QiGong has a science, some believe it is related to the quantum physics concept of zero-point energy. Physicist Charles Seife defines zero-point energy as: "The energy caused by the spontaneous creation and destruction of subatomic particles, even in the deepest vacuum. It is a prime suspect for the cause of the cosmological constant."

Upon various blogs and message boards where I and other artists share their work with each other, there is a somewhat common phrase used sometimes in discussing the work. It usually goes something like - I would love to see the painting IRL (in real life) - or - I am sure IRL it is even better. This is because you cannot feel the true essence of a work without seeing it in person.

The best Giclee print in the world although very nice, is still a lifeless copy of the original painting. Vincent Van Gogh's work is a prime example. I have stared at this one original of his - Olive Grove, at my local museum many different times. Certain times when I am alone with the work and/or focused into it without distraction, I begin to see an underlying radiating energy.

I think that all handmade items have an element of this; the chi of the artist infused with the work. And whether you want to call it prana, chi, qi, zero-point energy or anything else, this life force energy is real, and is a vital and malleable thing. Check out this related post: All Matter is Energy.

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My Collection of Notes and Ideas

Do you ever write notes to yourself? I find myself constantly writing down my thoughts, ideas, whims, and odd observations; often times on bits of scrap paper or whatever is on hand. In fact, this is going to sound a little crazy, but I have a few boxes full of these collected notes. I don't know what I'm going to do with them - maybe some day go through, archive the good ideas and then throw them away. I just can't make myself toss out what is possibly a great idea. I guess you could say I am an idea pack-rat.

I knew a man once who had his entire double garage full of junk that he had collected. Heating and air ductwork material, odd pieces of metal, wire, tools, books, shelves, wood, anything you can imagine almost. I mean the entire double garage full, with stuff stacked like 5 or 6 ft. high and junk in the backyard too. So at least I am not an actual junk pack rat, just one that writes a lot of notes and keeps them! That's why I like the computer, it can store all of my writings in nicely typed, spell-checked, easily organized, searchable format. You know what I need, is a portable voice recorder that could just plug into the computer and automatically type up my words.

"A man would do well to carry a pencil in his pocket, and write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought are commonly the most valuable, and should be secured, because they seldom return." - Francis Bacon

Even on the computer though when I write down my thoughts it's not really a journal, it is still more of ideas, prose, poetry, and weird wanderings of the mind. The most journal-like that I get is writing down my dreams, the good ones that I can remember anyway. Only very seldom do I write down or refer to an event that happened or people I that I saw. I guess I am more concerned with remembering why something was important, what ideas I can pull from it, how it made me feel, or my reaction.

Maybe it is just that I am lazy and don't want to get tied down to chit-chatty details or something. My notes are like an emotional snapshot of the mind; well an emotional and analytical snapshot. I am always making these lists, in order to edit down my ideas and organize my current creative thoughts. I start out with the intention of keeping things separate but my writing usually degrades into that emotional/analytical potpourri. Which no one but my own crazy mind would actually understand if reading it, and sometimes when I come back to my notes I don't even know what I was talking about.

Writing this blog has helped me to actually take time to organize, punctuate, and put good form to my thoughts. If you go back and read the first posts (if you're super bored or something) and read the progression of my writing, it definitely has improved. Writing every day is just as important as sketching or painting everyday I have learned. And if you're not actually physically doing it, at least thinking about it, that is work too.

My notes are like my sketchbooks, informal works that I try to go back to and then turn the good entries into paintings. Except with the notes; I go back and write at least a few paragraphs on the idea I wanted to remember or research what I was thinking about. So anyways, take Francis Bacon's advice and don't forget to write down that idea that just hits you, it truly might not come back.

Art Games Spotlight: flOw, Coactive, and Orisinal

Welcome once again to Art Games Spotlight here at Modern Art Quotes. Days of scouring the web (and hours of play) searching for the most creative, ingenious, abstract, free and fun games resulted in the following three entries: (Click on the title of the game to go to the website and play.)

1. flOw, by thatgamecompany: An awesomely cool game where you start as a small organism in a layered sea of sorts. You can travel up and down through the depths of the layers, eating smaller matter and other organisms, evolving or getting eaten all the while. I could play this game for hours endlessly, the deceptively simple game-play is very fun and very addicting; Almost soothing in a primordial kind of way. Very easy and very fun with endless replay value. Play the pc version of flOw by clicking on the link above.

2. Coactive, by Danny Adler: This is an interactive music/art game. A very cool and hypnotizing experience; you use interactive shapes of various design that each correspond with a sound element, to create music and art. Start and stop these shaped musical options, mix and match various layers of sound. Fascinating and meditative, keep going with it for a minute to really get the feel, and you'll lose an hour or two.

3. Orisinal games, by Ferry Halim: These games are short and sweet, but very well designed. Easy, fun and with good art, you'll have fun exploring the 60 plus games from this talented designer.

Have fun recharging your creative juices by playing these great games, (I did). Especially the first game flOw, what a wierd experience that game is, a very fun wierd experience. Let me leave you with a quote from Irish painter Francis Bacon about art as a game:

"You see, painting has now become, or all art has now become completely a game, by which man distracts himself. What is fascinating actually is, that it's going to become much more difficult for the artist, because he must really deepen the game to become any good at all."

-Francis Bacon