The Painted Figure - Inner & Outer

What does it mean to be human?  To live both the inner and outer life?  The spiritual and secular?  Through my paintings and drawings I explore this subject.  "Soul Painter" (above) is a life size cutout in plywood, painted with acrylic.  One side expresses how we define ourselves by our clothing, our consumerism, putting on an identity like paper dolls.  As observers, we make judgements about others based on their attire. The face is replaced with a mirror to remind us that though we make assumptions based on appearances, ultimately what we think of others is a reflection of ourselves and unrelated to the actual person.  The reverse side of the figure depicts an expression of the soul or spiritual body, a more universal expression.  Both may be true, relative and absolute.  But who are we really?

This piece is part of a group of works being shown in Brunswick next weekend at Greenhut Studios at the Fort Andross Mill for Friday Art Walk, July 12, 5-8 pm.  You can see more of my explorations into the nature of the human experience, both individual and social that have been created over the last 25 years at the show, along with bronze sculpture by Marji Greenhut and poured glass by Angela Antolewicz & Ryan Helean. 

Upcoming Earth, Water and Fire Exhibit

Exhibit at Aryaloka Buddhist Center

October 5 - November 14, 2012

I will be exhibiting a series of photographic prints on paper and canvas, centered around the theme of earth, water and fire. Most of these were taken as part of my graduate work in 2006-2007.  My masters portfolio centered on contemplative arts practices, and more specifically photography as a tool for contemplative looking.

Earth, Fire, Water - photo montage

My art is grounded in a practice of looking, an active engagement with the phenomenal world; to look at a leaf, light on a lake or litter on a city street… to look at life; all this is part of my contemplative art practice. To look, really look, I don’t mean just glance, for “to really see takes time,” as Georgia O’Keeffe once said, “like to have a friend takes time.” It requires slowing down, opening up a non-judgmental space where genuine contact can be made. It is as Robert Irwin’s biography title states, “Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees.” It is seeing with all the senses, a process of synchronizing mind and body.

Clouds on Water - c. 2006

 My photography is integrated into the larger context of years of meditative practice as a Shambhala Buddhist.  The teachings on art and meditation of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of Shambhala Buddhism; a poet and interdisciplinary artist in his own right, are at the core of my practice as an artist and teacher.  His book of collected teachings on art & meditation, True Perception have been influential in my approach to this work.
These images are part of a larger inquiry into the nature of the Five Great Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space), as part of my study of Vajrayana Buddhist philosophy. The entire manifested universe is composed of these elements.  They form a mandala of energetic qualities that manifest on the coarse, subtle and secret levels in all aspects of life; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  Understanding their nature we can more skillfully work with the world as it is.

I will follow this post with more on the elements in the coming days.  

For more information on Robert Irwin, I highly recommend his biography. 

A Glut of Images

It's tough being an artist these days.  Everyone is an artist, we all have access to cameras, software that paints for us and new imagery is uploaded by the millions to personal computers and the internet daily.  Why would anyone invest in another's artwork when we are so inundated with free imagery?  It's particularly tough for those of us who are making digital photographic images.  Flickr is loaded with images, not to mention Picasa, PhotoBucket, etc.  Etsy sellers list their images for $2.50 for an artist card to $8.00 for an 8x10 (what one would expect a drugstore re-print to sell for.)  Let's face it some of those images are actually nice, but who can make a living with those prices?  And the web offers images of anything you can imagine free for viewing and downloading 24/7.  No wonder, while camera sales are soaring, photography galleries are closing.

One might look at this as the democratization of art, but could it also be the Wal-martization of art?  And are we getting better art or merely more schlock?  While anyone can buy the equipment and software to make images, what isn't happening is the training of the eye, the hand and the person to cultivate the disciplines and skills that make for an arts professional.  This makes creating an image of quality and power a hit or miss thing.

But the biggest casualty in this deluge of imagery is our ability both individually and as a culture to discern what is truly worthy of our attention and appreciation as art.  I'm not speaking of the snobbish attitude of High art versus Low art, or Art with a capitol A, but knowing the fact that visual imagery has power in and of itself as a form of communication.  And when we are barraged by a cacophony of visual imagery on a daily basis, at some point we stop looking, particularly at the subtle and possibly more refined messages as the grosser, louder or more obvious messages crowd them out. The image becomes de-valued and the image maker does too.  Not all images are worth making or viewing.  But in our gluttonous society, we want to acquire them all and just as quickly discard them for the next new thing.

What we lose in this "all images are equal" and "everyone is an artist" is respect for the work of art created by a master artist as shaman, who understands the potent forces they are working with in the phenomenal world.  One who goes beyond the noise of mental chatter to call up imagery that speaks to things that cannot be thought or spoken of in mere words.  One who has developed a relationship with the material world and mastery of their tools, cultivating an intimate connection with them, so that deeper truths can be accessed and skillfully articulated both for himself and the viewer.  But this type of work takes time and patience to cultivate, it's not about just talent, but also dedication and sacrifice.  It comes from a deeper calling to create as an act of service to something larger than one's own self-expression.  It is less about documenting and capturing what is seen as it is about giving expression to the unseen and intangible reality beyond concept.  When we experience a work of that potency we are changed by it.  Those images are rare even among the works of masters, for they are more than adornment for our ego or cataloguing of our lives through images.  They are messages from the collective unconscious calling us to wake up to the magic within our world and within us.

Camera as Artist's Tool: Artwork by Rebekah Younger, Jim Kelly, Paul Brahms and Arunas Bukauskas

Well it is happening! I am exhibiting a whole collection of my photographs at a gallery in Portland, ME along with 3 other artists. The show is entitled, "Camera as Artist's Tool" and opens on Friday, October 3 - November 1 at the Addison-Woolley Gallery at 87 Market St. The opening is from 5-8 pm on October 3 and there will be an artist talk on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2pm. Come see the show if you can.

The show features work that either blurs the line between painting and photography like Jim Kelly's and my own or uses photography as a reference, like Arunas Bukauskas and Paul Brahms.

I will be showing my "Extracts - Firestroke series". These pieces are extracted photographs from an original mixed media painting. What do I mean by extracted? I used my camera to explore the painting in close detail with a macro lens, much as I have done with flowers. They are about examining the textures, lines and colors independent of the larger context. What emerges is a series of distilled compositions that are strong and richly layered.

Here is the statement I wrote for the show.

Is this a painting? Or is it a photograph? Are these distinctions relevant in an age where most art experiences are mediated by digital technology? In this series each medium was part of a creative process of discovery. In painting there is the urge to make a mark, to leave a trace of myself through the expressive line. My ego, or sense of self, expresses in layers of complexity, building up associations as the hand moves across the page. I use the camera to frame the image, separated from the physical act of making, looking with fresh eyes. In the process of perception, the composition is deconstructed and distilled by the act of photographing it. Fragments were extracted, as the eyes moved across the image, capturing lines, a shape, a color.


These images digitally record the process of looking, a process that creates new worlds of wholeness out of the fragmented impressions of an original composition. In our daily lives, do we not extract our vision of the world out of the whole in our effort to make sense and order out of the chaos of stimuli, seeking beauty and wholeness in the fragments?

If you can't make the show and would like to see more of these images visit my website, www.rebekahyounger.com You will find them under the digital mixed media category in artwork as "Extracts".
Comments always appreciated...