Markus Ray’s “Art Look” Blog

A Painting Is A Real Thing  Abstracts are not abstract. The Apple Dictionary describes abstract like this: 1) existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence: abstract concepts such as love or beauty. 2) dealing with ideas rather than events: the novel was too [...]

“To Paint or not to Paint—that is the question.” Whatever a person is to do in this life is paramount. Destiny is not a small matter. We came to realize something, and that something is particular to our very heart and soul. I find myself painting and writing, and [...]

  Tintoretto’s Genius Shut Me Up ! I have been absent from ART LOOK, though not absent from looking—or writing. I apologize, my dear readers, for this hiatus. My writing priorities were applied to getting two books together for Sondra and me: Lately I’ve Been Thinking, two years of [...]

ICONS Recall A Familiar Face I would almost say I am an “Icon Painter,” in an age that would deem that label almost ridiculous. We live in a divisive age. Religious underpinnings are forming a basis for justifying much cruelty. Terrorism is what we call these acts of cruelty. They [...]

RALPH WOEHRMAN : Fire of Love as One of My Teachers I spent my early formative years studying Art at the Cleveland Institute of Art in University Circle of Cleveland, Ohio. It was a gray city. Some places you have been in your life have an ominous mood—a pervading temperament that defines not [...]

Elegant Block Heads by Robert Froh in Barcelona It’s rare I tout the virtues of a living artist. In fact, the living artist I like the best is myself. That’s why I take up the brush and the graphite stick in the first place—to hand hew a “replica of my own Divinity.” So [...]

An Uplifting  Trip to Cologne Cathedral  We were in Cologne, Germany, last week, teaching a Loving Relationships Training. After our work was done the one thing I wanted to see was the Cologne Cathedral. I have been there twice before. Once in 1987 and once in 2013. What drew me to it? Probably [...]

ON THIS DAY OF CHRIST’S EVE On this “Day of Christ’s Eve” I am reminded of my childhood memories with my good Mother, taking my sister and I to church on Christmas Eve. Sometimes my Dad would go. Sometimes not. But always Mother would take us. She made sure we had a [...]

Two Weeks in Paradise in Ko Samui, Thailand. Two weeks ago Sondra and I came to Kamalaya, a healing center on the island of Ko Samui in Thailand, created by a friend of ours whom we know from our time in India at Babaji’s Ashram. He built this incredible place of wellness, which offers [...]

What stunned me was the presence of Napoleon as I passed the gallery! Dear Readers, we were home in DC for 2 days before coming Down Under to Australia.  I was having an ART LOOK necessity. Other things have taken me away from you—important things—like getting the Little Ganesh Book ready for [...]