Essere Painting

This painting was about letting 's very easy to fall into a trap of forcing things in life and in art also. I am learning, as I develop my practice, to spend more time listening to something within me which is a place of stillness, a source of pure 'being' (essere). When I used to teach Philosophy, I always found it paradoxical to try to train minds how 'to be' through thinking and this is one of the reasons I left teaching Philosophy of Mind. I wanted to come into a place of direct communication with reality, instead of holding up a magnifying glass and trying to classify and control it through over rationalisation. The painting has many layers, including some beautiful iridescence in places, which add to the ethereal tone of the work. I had no plan when setting out on this work and let the piece unfold by itself. I must say, even though I am the artist, I am quite enchanted by it.