Perspectives

this is a painting i did in the fall of 2002. in this painting, every pane represents a different perspective on life: left - desperation, middle - reality, right - elation.

middle: this pane is supposed to represent the 'true' image as it is found in nature. the thing that strikes me the most when looking at the middle is that there is balance... after all, where there is good' there is equal 'bad' in nature... but it also means that there is no innate good or evil, everything just is.

left: this pane shows the same tree through the eyes of a very sad individual. everything is on a slant and the colours were chosen to be a bit unsettling. it's hard to tell in the pic, but i used some metallic paint to signify the coolness of the world...if you look closely (not sure if it shows up on this thing) you'll see subtle texture going down the sky like tears. also, the cliff seems more threatening than in the other two panels...maybe showing someone 'on the edge'?

this one compared to the middle shows that no matter how neutral an event may be in life, that someone's extra baggage can influence their interpretation.

right: this one is the tree through the eyes of someone who is very pleased with life. the colours, the clouds, and the curves & movement of the tree are exaggerated & bubbly. a warm iridescent paint (which you only see in person) was used to highlight parts of the clouds and the tree.

this one shows that positivity can be projected in the same way that negativity can be. in this case, the person's happiness with the world actually transforms the world into one of beauty. this goes along with eastern philosophies that question whether the beauty we see in the world around us is merely a reflection of our own inner joy.


point: no two people will see the same tree and see the same thing...we all bring something unique into it.

but also, what we 'bring' is a result of our projections onto the world...essentially, the world becomes what we want it to be. what do you want your world to be?

for me right now, i want the middle panel. recently i have been reading a lot about living in the 'now'...letting go of all that we hold on to from the past as well as the what ifs about the future (good/bad). and it's funny, but i think that's what attracted me back to this painting right now. i am completely jiving with the middle panel...reality...accepting life for what it is and not needing to put a spin on it...so i guess i am trying to see the tree for what it really is: a tree.

i wonder if that's even possible?

Intro

Hey there!!

okay, so i'm new at this whole thing...but basically, i'm using this site to put pics up of some of my paintings and to keep everyone posted on my life once i go on the road. where am i going? well, right now there's a lot up in the air so this is my best guess...but with luck i/we (jasmine and i) will go to Peru, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Europe & *fingers crossed* Africa :)

all in all, i would like to leave for this trip Sept-Oct 2006 & i should be gone 8 mo. to 1 yr.

for those of you who don't know, i just got my ba in Psychology from UWO and am spending my summer in London enjoying life! my dad sold our Brampton house, so come Sept i'm out of a place to live...but that also means that it's the perfect time to travel!!

i'm also starting to sell some of my work (yes, i know, it's REALLY hard to part with it!). so come back soon to see what kind of stuff i paint!

addy :)

ps - those pics are two of the MANY from my trip last year to Costa Rica and Panama...