cara.a.mayo@gmail.com Copyright © 2010, CaraMayo.com
Cara Mayo
Aboriginal Elders Teachings
The Aboriginal Elder series is an exploration in consciousness.
As a child and adult near-death experiencer (nde) I have come to understand the nde is all about consciousness. I allow creativity to flow through me and use it as a tool to explore. These paintings are a series of evolving teachings from Aboriginal Elders I was introduced to. They are in no way a comment on the beliefs or culture of the Aboriginal people, rather my interpretation of what I am feeling.
More words for viewing the artwork;
There is an utter silence that falls around me, and I feel the eyes, the presence of five Aboriginal Elders behind my right shoulder. They are quietly waiting, holding the space, a place of deep emptiness. That is when it is time to feel their energy and allow it to come through.
As a child and adult near-
More words for viewing the artwork;
There is an utter silence that falls around me, and I feel the eyes, the presence of five Aboriginal Elders behind my right shoulder. They are quietly waiting, holding the space, a place of deep emptiness. That is when it is time to feel their energy and allow it to come through.
Painting is my 'tool of choice,' and through years of practice I can abide there without words in a meditative space.
The most difficult part is trying to capture a continual flow of multidimensional information with a two-dimensional medium. I have no idea how to portray layers of continual activity on canvas. In painting 6, Expansion, red-orange fire is erupting behind the deep blues of creation. If you allow yourself to perceive the shapes flowing in space, continual movement behind, above, within the vastness of the void, it will help enliven the artwork.
My colors are poor imitations of the light I see/feel and therefore another source of frustration when attempting to express what I'm perceiving. I've blocked out the sound, confined my perception to a small area of information, hoping that in some way there is a translation that reaches out.
Usually the gentle nudge to paint in this way comes when I have time. Often I'll start, only to feel the connection slowly wind down and know to put the brush aside until further notice (a day, a month, more).
The most difficult part is trying to capture a continual flow of multidimensional information with a two-
My colors are poor imitations of the light I see/feel and therefore another source of frustration when attempting to express what I'm perceiving. I've blocked out the sound, confined my perception to a small area of information, hoping that in some way there is a translation that reaches out.
Usually the gentle nudge to paint in this way comes when I have time. Often I'll start, only to feel the connection slowly wind down and know to put the brush aside until further notice (a day, a month, more).
The nature of painting this way is contrary to the training I received when getting my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts).
The red-orange fire in Painting 6, Expansion, was painted in large shapes, later to be interlaced with other colors and therefore shaved down. If I was working from a photo, let's say, I would paint the red-orange shapes, then add the other colors around them rather then block out an area in a solid color.
The paintings are not an inner visual snapshot. I have no idea what I am painting, what it will look like, what it is until the knowingness to 'stop' happens. When my art training says the painting is getting too busy, the design is confusing, the perspective is wrong, I am reminded that these paintings are telling a story. They are not to be perceived in a particular way but are to evolve.
Finally a quote from Oscar Wilde: "Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."
The red-
The paintings are not an inner visual snapshot. I have no idea what I am painting, what it will look like, what it is until the knowingness to 'stop' happens. When my art training says the painting is getting too busy, the design is confusing, the perspective is wrong, I am reminded that these paintings are telling a story. They are not to be perceived in a particular way but are to evolve.
Finally a quote from Oscar Wilde: "Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."
Dancing Energy, 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas
Transition, 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas
Tunnel, 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas
Network, 2 Panels 12 x 48 each, Oil on Canvas
Expansion, 30 x 40 Oil on Canvas
Guidance, 24 x 30 Oil on Canvas