ART is made in the NOW.
Art is definitely made in the now. And furthermore, it is made amidst the Void of the Unknown. We artists use the “tools” of the known, with a few structures and gestures made before, and put them into a total surrender to something coming out of the apparent “nothing.” At the end of this Great Sequester, I feel a new surge of inspiration coming into me.
Starting a New Drawing
Time is an illusion
Sages say that time is an illusion, but we certainly seem preoccupied with it. The practicalities of daily life often depend on us measuring our time out effectively, and to make good use of our time. On the other hand, there is a state of mind that is outside of time. Usually those same sages are the ones who abide there in the timeless. They maintain a body for awhile in the “time / space” continuum, but really their Identity is ever freshly in the Now. They are “artists of the spirit.”
We like to wear a watch, and not just a Timex. I have a Tissot. My teacher Tara Singh had a Phillipe Patek. Swiss made. We seem to like Swiss time. There is something more precise and accurate about it. Something about the beauty and elegance of a Swiss made watch gives us a sense we are well maintaining our time—treating it with respect. The mechanical beauty of a Swiss watch is not just in the precision of the inner works, but they are themselves works of art. The beauty of a Swiss watch transcends time.
But setting time aside, and our obsession with it, then what are the sages attempting to tell us? What awakening is in store for us in the aftermath of their sharing? Going within ourselves to find this different quality of awareness is what the sages, and true art is all about. It is in the Now, in the moment, a truth that is not tainted or outmoded my the marching of time.
The Stillness of Silence
There is a stillness in silence, and this dimension has nothing to do with time. In fact, it is most observable when the mind had stepped out of the time / space continuum. Thinking ceases. Action begins, and this could be from the emptiness of inspiration.
The exquisite world of Now
When one has left the world and come back into it, with this vibration of stillness, there is a beauty one notices in things. The physical world becomes entirely exquisite. There is a heaven in the now. Even a crumpled up paper towel, or a brush stroke of the most carefree nature assumes the proportions of the divine. The human face is like a goddess. Even the locks and chains of time are embellished with diamonds.
I could pull it all together and not even know what I am pulling together. When I am in this space of the Now, and I am in the joy of my Divine Connection, I could put anything in the picture and it would not only be beautiful, it would be captivating and fascinating. It grabs not only your attention, but it engulfs my attention in the creating of it.
Beyond the body
Something takes us beyond the body into the Spirit. Mind you, we are still very much in our bodies, but the quality of our awareness rises far beyond the physical realms. There is a Divine Order, and an interweaving of form with the etheric planes of pure joy. One can just enjoy the whole cosmos in a small piece in the field of painted endeavors.
This is “The Exquisite Now.” The medium is Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Sharpie Marker, and Collage on 100% Rag Watercolor Paper; 20″ X 14″ You saw how I did it. Neat, huh.
Send purchase inquires to markus@markusray.com or just go buy it here: https://markusray.com/shop-the-gallery/the-exquisite-now/
Love, Markus
