Qualities

When young I was regularly given pieces of scrap paper and handed my first toy which was a pencil, and this fired my curiosity and wonder at what the outcome could be. I found learning a deeply gratifying pastime to distract me from the many free hours I had as a child, and by the time I entered school I had accrued enough confidence to go from imaginative scribbles to copying very simple designs from magazines.

I’m an entirely self-taught artist and subscribe to an independent yet informal approach in my studio practice, as I draw my inspiration from matters that are close to the moment I live in. By nature I provide commercially styled art including writing from the Scottish School, and test the nature of my artistic abilities by formulating observations on the world at large.

One of the oldest known activities in the world, art has a lot of visual inspiration that comes from a deeply formal outlook to life and to present this as a question, I often wonder about the lure of the old masters.

Asking what prompted them to paint the way they did I'm furnished with an entire lifetime's worth of musings, thus I nurture my creative side and feel inquisitive about life sometimes. Looking to the here and now for meaning, I find new avenues everywhere to expand into and express that rich variety of the world which adds depth and colour to life.

When I start to open my mind to greater possibilities that normally live out of reach but within the realm of imagination, my creative juices begin to develop into passion and a creative urge.

When I decided to be more professional and produce a portfolio of products each unique within themselves, my art then became much more than a social pastime, it evolved into a visual language. I had discovered many types of rewarding and inspiring art along with their associated practices, and I believe that to make anything you must first have the notion to create or express an idea or feeling. Then be motivated enough to bring the project into being, through the knowledge of your chosen vehicle.

So what on earth constitutes art?

1. Art: A depiction of a historical set of Norms.
2. Craft: Utilising Old & New Approaches.
3. Design: A Practical Approach to Planning.

To me, these three reasons for art explain the joy I feel when intrinsically I feel a part of something greater, and put my faith, belief, and trust in my own ability to manifest ideas. I believe in creative skills enhancing anyone's life.

I’m humble enough to admit when improvement is needed and have found new thoughts and ideas looking at old work of mine, as I’m cemented in my belief to take life seriously having a deep desire to study and learn first-hand from the world at large. Come hell or high water I have gone on to practice painting and drawing every day since, which has helped me cope in life.

This willingness to evolve has given me the impetus to rise to life's challenges and develop my voice. With significant experience in making art I’m happy questioning everything and sometimes learning nothing.

When making fine art I practise being creative with life's gold mine of beliefs and ideas, and philosophically speaking when I expressed my desires I discovered people have their own unique point of view with a few common beliefs in work and life which bind the very fabric of our society together.

The need for respect and the desire to work are universally accepted as normal, and my approach to these are the fundamental basis to my view of life. I hope to achieve success in my vocation by creating more art and by choosing to reflect on life’s great mystery, because the here and now are my origins for living.

Art will never be as tangible as the real world, yet in the right hands can give the impression of the person's true self. Here are some characteristic styles and approaches to help the viewer muse on the significance of art, and please do take the liberty to question the classifications stated, as my art is not the sole directive of a chosen few, as the myth would have you believe.

1. Fine Artist: Realism, Classicism, Naturalism.
2. Artisan: Romanticism, Graphic, Fantasy.
3. Creative: Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary.

Sourcing many of my ideas from a plethora of artistic influences and my limited exploration of my heritage, I fell in love with the light as a sense of the landscape, and is why I want to capture the sheer grandeur of it all.

Art in all seriousness should have a warmth and attitude that inspires you to observe and explore the point of good visual presentation. Hence I’m a philosophically inclined artist who wants to create fine and authentic artwork. Yet I can’t help imagining what it might be in the future, hopefully it will capture a sense of belonging.

To gain joy and satisfaction with the world, I remember that beauty is the truest nature to life and life always has a purpose, this is how I began to mature. My mind began to open and I discovered I basically knew nothing about life, and my view now? A continuum of expanding forces for change.

The mantra of my life with the many choices I had made within my reality - whatever the outcome, was by my logic an enlightenment of the greater truth. Taking ownership of our true selves is for me having an authentic purpose, something to be passionate about and is the result of choice will and intent.

To realise our aspiration for experience can be the underlying reason for our human existence. Real progress is then having an uncluttered understanding of life in its many aspects, because in our lives we forge our own way from the moment we decide to honour our real worth.
'I am a seeker' and aim to cope with the demands of looking after my house, by which I learn from other people in any way I can. So learning for me has no pretence, just awareness.

Being aware that the human spirit can transform problems into a rewarding life, is essentially the realisation of my true nature and wishes, and the commitment to work towards them. This means that when I return home to family and friends, ideally I will have learned more about myself and the nature of humanity.

I’m now beginning to question my idea of reality, examining the belief that people are just a matter of dimension based on personal experience, as it could be said that reality is a continuum of causality also known as change, and in working on myself I mature as a person and learn to live with this change in life.

Life circumstances are just a reflection of our choices and level of awareness at any given time. I say we have it within ourselves to live with the reality we make for ourselves. This to me is the key to enlightenment, in understanding ourselves we begin knowing where we come from and ideally our pathway forward. To be our own master is learning to see the world as inter-connected and respecting its many shades and diversity.

With this we become rewarded by allowing all to be a better version of their past, on looking inwards and then outwards we avoid the trap of one-upmanship and self-gratification. I believe there is a time and a place for everything and everyone, personally my experience of self-transformation led to a greater clarity of thought, which then reflected outwards to embrace life more.

I now exercise my freedom to be an independent person, part-of but not necessarily actively participating in today’s world, which is often fraught with complications, but then again there are no problems only solutions.

I have a warm and open heart for humanity, after all I am but one voice in many and if I don't honour life, then I prefer to not connect with the world. So on reflection, my experiences so far are often inspired by the opportunity to practise compassion, and to extend the hand of love and include others in my life. I often call this empathy, and this is when I feel connected to something or someone greater than myself.

Yet what does this mean to the world? Simply put, 'free will and free choice’ as everything carries consequences either positive or negative.
So be personally open to learning and changing, as reality can be the connection that aids growth, by developing awareness of the greater truth I believe we can have something of value to offer the world through a life we can experience, either by the human senses or in the unseen world.

I have come across many 'spiritual laws', many scientific 'models' and quite a few social 'trends', but find the only enduring facet of life is change either on a shallow or deep level. Depending on our choices you can find change to be a good thing, by remembering you are in control of your life, and it does flow at your chosen pace.

Life is more than a mere symbol of unity, it is the harmony from within, and it is said there is your way and there is my way, and we are both correct. I discount anyone who is willing to denigrate or manipulate others for any type of personal gain. In my understanding, when it comes to my true self it is merely accepting I am a flawed human being, and so accept and allow other people to unfold as they wish.

Having enough maturity to know when to take full ownership of self, whilst still being receptive to other people’s ideas, leads me to the view that life is a spectrum of differing perceptions. Meaning what is true to me is not necessarily true to you, either way I respect your right to choose. My belief is, as I learn to live and grow and become more awake and aware, I realise I am more than the sum of my parts, fostering the belief in something greater than myself. To put it another way, an ever-unfolding experience of reality, and continuing progress into wholeness.

Speaking academically this is how I view the term "The Way", as an understanding of how to relate and respond to life. My life is my practice, because by being open minded, disciplined and believing in the necessity of having faith and trust in the unknown. The promise of progress is then knowing life will make me whole again if I let it.

Being as constructive as I can be, I at some point naturally look for peace in my life, as this is usually when my thoughts begin to make clear and concise sense and cease being fragmented, here a sense of wholeness prevails.

To be positive about life all the time can be difficult but not impossible, just openly viewing the world in its many multifaceted aspects. Seeing the truth, by living and working with life's set of circumstances, I often discovered this the hard way. Accepting that I can only be the best 'I' can be at any given time and by learning to attend to life in a practised and practical manner thus leads to an improved sense of wellbeing.

Practicality is for me living without a constant state of fear. There are a lot of subtle examples of love and compatibility which are whole and complete in their expression. Showing willingness to take part in life uncovers many ways to be active and participate, to be fully involved with life. This is how I gain my sense of self, by being open without pre judgement.

In this context 'goodness' is not a false promise, it leads to a more mature outlook blossoming within the being. To know what is in our mind at any given time requires a degree of self-awareness, and to focus purely on problems without acknowledging and dealing with the source can be a fool’s errand. So I say why not try to make informed connections instead. I believe life can be good and accept the necessity for accepting humanity despite its barbaric nature sometimes.

I hold firm in the worth of a human life. The willingness to accept each other despite any differences. Life is a journey, live, learn, grow, and most importantly hold fast to your belief in your truth. To learn to live by your own truth, means past and present situations become a gold mine of personal knowledge and experience. Life ceases to be pre-ordained, but to be explored. So the question is, what is reality and why is it not uniform for everyone? The answer is simple. Yes we are basically the same, but different, each to their own, there is no 'one size fits all'. Growth happens in phases. One following on from another and are due to the adoption of informed choices. Choosing to live life by your own reality, it seeks of you to cease judging other people for their personal view of reality.

When we begin to see periods of progression in life, the willingness to seek ever greater freedom and enlightenment comes forth. This then leads to the realisation that there is a better way of living. To discover the seeming end is only the beginning for us. It carries with it the reality that we and the universe are infinite and eternal. The source of our own humanity being a seed of salvation.

Know that being alive is to be born equal in life. The truth of us waits to be discovered as being a part of all things blessed. Through the practice of informed acceptance and self-control, personal reality becomes of our own choosing. The universe is here to guide us on our journey, back to the source of our creation, and so the choices are all ours.

The cyclic nature of our life can teach us many things, not least of which can be to open our eyes. When we acknowledge and learn from the people, experiences, and signs on our life's journey we can prove to ourselves we are of worth as people. However, first we must ask, who am I, what am I, and where am I heading? The simple answer is to ask, who, what, where, when, how and why? In truth...... We only ever need to be a decent, caring, and humane human being!