Wordless Silence of Poetic Mind: Outlining and Visualising Poetic Experiences through Artmaking.
by Gil Dekel. This paper approaches visionary poetry from the point of view of an experiential observer. The paper explores the “poetic silence” that occurs in the moments before the poem is written, attempting to capture the moments in which a thought of poetry is formulated. This silence is defined by RILKE (1950, p.20) as “nameless”, thus may pose...
Read MoreWorking with Encaustic wax paintings: I See What I Believe.
By Natalie Dekel. The following paintings were created using coloured-wax applied with heated iron onto glossy cards. This technique is called encaustic wax. The technique involves the application of coloured wax onto a heated iron, which causes the wax to melt. When it starts running on the surface of the iron it is applied to the card to create patterns. Working with this particular method...
Read MoreHow Do I Close My Eyes To See?
By Natalie Dekel. There are so many things in life we need to achieve and so many thoughts we ought to think, that we do not have time to stop and observe what is happening inside us. It takes courage, I found, to look within. It takes practice to look into the dark closets of our minds, and most importantly – it takes adjustment, just like our eyes need to adjust when seeing in the...
Read MoreThe process of drawing past-lives and guided portraits.
By Natalie Dekel. Psychic portraits can help people see their past-lives, their loved ones and their Spiritual Guides. I would like to share with you the process of inspiration behind the psychic paintings that I produce. I have been painting from a very young age, and have always sensed colours as if they were ‘entities’ coming to me with emotions and messages. In 2002 I began to practice...
Read MoreInspiration: a functional approach to creative practice (PhD Research).
By Gil Dekel. I have been conducting a PhD research (University of Portsmouth) into the subject of creativity and inspiration in art, studyng techniques of accessing one’s talents and opening a door to innovation. These techniques were tested with artists and non-artists alike, and proved beneficial to anyone who is willing to ask: “who am I, and how can I be more...
Read MoreThe Search for Explicit Self.
Dr. Iain Biggs interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: I get the feeling that your paintings suggest a sense of environment, a sense of “earthiness”… Is this correct? [1] Iain Biggs: “Earthiness” means such different things to different people… but I can say that I am concerned with making images that in part – and only in part – grow out of my response to particular...
Read MoreThe Image of Ourselves.
Performance artist Roi Vaara interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: Would it be correct to say that you are a ‘performance artist’? [1] Roi Vaara: I am known for my performances, so yes, it is correct to say I am performance artist. But when I am asked what I do, I reply that I am an artist, originally a painter who now presents his visions in a live format. [2] And you have mentioned...
Read MoreEmotional Slices of Light.
Photographic installation artist Katayoun Dowlatshahi interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: You are tracing light onto glass using a method called Carbon Photography. How did you develop the idea of ‘light drawings’? [1] Katayoun Dowlatshahi: In 1998 I spent a year as Artist in Residence at Durham Cathedral. It was there that I began a journey investigating the relationship between...
Read MoreExtra Light in the Mind.
Installation artist David Johnson interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: Your work has undergone an interesting evolution over the years. [1] David Johnson: When I was young I used to paint and draw and make mono-prints. I studied architecture originally, but gave that up to go to art school. As soon as I got there I started to do works about the idea of the invisible. The invisible was just...
Read MoreMeaningful Objects.
Installation artist Ken Devine interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: Your art project Colours of the Sphere looks at the ways in which people create meanings with the world around them and especially with colours. [1] Ken Devine: Yes, the project started ten years ago with a brief to work in a junior school. I had a six months’ residency then and I scratched my head for some time to find...
Read MoreLife is a dream.
Interview with painter, photographer and installation artist Pablo Avendaño. Natalie Dekel: When was it that you first decided to paint or express yourself visually? [1] Pablo Avendaño: I cannot recall when it began except for the very early visits to the Prado with my father and afterwards studying reproductions of Velazquez. I was then around eight years old. However, I decided to...
Read MoreThe Beauty in Temporality.
Watercolour painter Melanie Chan interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: You specialise in watercolour paintings of flowers. What do you see in the flower? [1] Melanie Chan: I see the beauty of nature in flowers, and I am amazed by their perfection and their symmetry. Once I start painting my mind starts to become calmer, as if the flower is encouraging me to be in the moment. I pay...
Read MoreUnfoldment.
Mandala painter, Barry Stevens, interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: Mandalas are usually round, or I should say circular around a centre. As such they do not seem to have an up or down, left or right. How do you then ‘plan’ the painting? [1] Barry Stevens: The reference point is the centre. First thing is to find the centre of the paper and then to place the point of the compass ...
Read MoreI Am a Painter.
Perspective-localized painter, Felice Varini, interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: You do not paint on canvas but rather on architectural and urban landscapes, such as buildings, walls, streets. Your works have only one view point, or a vantage point, from which the viewer can see the complete painting, usually a simple geometric form (a circle, square, triangle). From other view points the...
Read MorePortals of the Mind and the Soul.
Painter, poet and philosopher Paul Hartal is interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: What is your view on the sources of creativity in art? [1] Paul Hartal: Creativity is a cognitive process that results in new outcomes. It generates original ideas and novel products. Since creative faculties are not distributed evenly at birth, we come to the world with significant differences in levels of...
Read MoreIntrospection.
Matt Manley (painter, teacher, digital artist, and illustrator of Rumi wall calendars published by Brush Dance) – interviewed by Natalie Dekel. Natalie Dekel: Your work seems a mix of symbols and memories – a puzzle leading the viewer to discover a story. Is this correct? Matt Manley: I think this could be an accurate view of my work, as long as the story being...
Read MoreInsight into Words.
Poet Maggie Sawkins interviewed by Gil Dekel. Gil Dekel: You have been writing since the age of nine. How does the process of writing poetry work for you? [1] Maggie Sawkins: I think that there are different processes for different poems. Sometimes it is two things that seem opposites, and you make a connection. That is, a tension between two things that a poem can grow out of. For example,...
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