PROCESS
TRANSFORMATIVE ALCHEMICAL ART
Each piece of art I create is unique and I only create a few each year. Every piece is rich with symbolism - sacred geometry of shapes and patterns, light and colours, flowers, animals, and so on. Specific material Elements may have been incorporated within them because of their own symbolism, purpose and also vibration, such as gold, silver, copper, quartz, flowers and feathers.
Alchemical art is a fusion of intent, geometry, light (colours) and Classical Elements. With alchemical art changes happen, both to to the viewer, or user - physically, emotionally and subconsciously. They are tools for connecting into with your Mind for healing, guidance and inspiration. This feature of art to affect people so profoundly has radically influenced my artistic process.
CREATIVE PROCESS
When creating my artwork I clear my mind, usually meditating before selecting a canvas and materials. Every piece has an element or order and chaos to it but these are not predetermined. Colours choose themselves as the work progresses. Sacred geometry always features and provides the main message of the piece, while the colours indicate emotions or aspects of the human experience the geometry relates to. I also draw symbols on the back of the art to activate it.
"Art is magic... but how is it magic? In its metaphysical development, or does some final transformation culminate in a magic reality? In truth, the latter is impossible without the former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic."
Hans Hofmann (1880 – 1966)
Abstract expressionist painter
USING MY ART
To see and experience more from my art think of them as a 'thought forms' that you want to gain a perceptual experience from. Consider how an image makes you feel - neutral, angry, happy, frustrated, excited? What insights do you gain from using it as a meditative tool?
Through imagery the timeless, formless and boundless are made concrete using symbols so try using the images for reflection and meditation to travel around reality using your Mind.
"Karen L. French has produced a book that is concise and acts as a wonderful research tool for all art students and professional artists. The visuals are exciting and thought provoking and give the topics discussed a tangible dimension. The text is easy to read and yet manages to cover the intellectual context of the theories. The theories put forward are varied and the reader is taken on a journey of learning where one topic feeds into the other. This approach allows the reader the time to compute the information and to research in a creative manner. I would recommend this book to any artist, tutor or student working in any artistic discipline. It is well researched and a great point of reference for the study of geometry, science, spirituality and their place in our natural environment."
Jackie Carter - Head of Art
Abbeyleix Further Education Centre
Empowering Artists - A Journey into Truly Seeing
Amanda McGreggor, Artlyst (26 Feb 2012)
About how the messages of The Hidden Geometry of Life book holds knowledge that can empower artists.