SCENT
OF AN ORCHID - THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING
Sent
By A Scent -
An
Olfactory Art Experience)
For
certain, this artist cannot be pigeonholed - that
is to say, each of his artworks, whether they be
paintings, drawings, or sculptures are in a class
of their own. Whether the images are landscapes,
visual impressions, or figments of the
imagination they are highly influenced by the
spiritual realm. Ultimately, each painting
becomes manifest, subconsciously, without ever
having a particular theme, or specific image in
mind. This is what Edward Longo has said about
his unusual creative process: "In essence,
each and every painting has been painstakingly
processed, spiritually, as I am certain those
talented artists who have passed must have
experienced. This mysterious connection actually
felt as if it was being transmitted through my
own hand - each piece becoming developed through
a different attitude. At times, while in the
creative zone, it was as if I had been stimulated
by a bolt of immense, positive electricity. Each
time I began painting it was as if I had
experienced what master artists of the past must
have imagined during the process of creating
their impressions. As I kept experimenting with
different techniques it became evident to me that
I had sometimes gotten in touch, spiritually,
with some of these legendary artists. After
allowing this process to flow, I realized I had
found a way to have my images become more in
keeping with the eloquent, spontaneous, brush
strokes of these masters.
Speaking of the
eloquent, spontaneous, brush strokes of the
masters of which I previously spoke, let me begin
by describing a very poignant experience:
It had been
over five years since I had taken up the brush to
attempt a serious work of art. However, as I
stood in the middle of my bedroom some kind of
spiritual inspiration took hold of me while
staring at the present image on the canvas. I
hadn't even given this painting its name (which
was painted in January of 1991) until the mystery
of this creation unfolded during May of 2003,
twelve years later.
As I continued
wondering about the brilliance and execution of
the watercolors flowing throughout the canvas I
began feeling guilty of not having the ability to
draw a decent-looking figure. It seemed every
time I tried to paint or sketch a figure,
especially that of a woman, the proportions all
too soon became distorted. I honestly began
feeling so emotional about this fact that I felt
tears beginning to well up into my eyes.
Fortunately, it was exactly this emotion that
gave me this kind of mysterious goose, which in
turn, inspired me to do something about my
insecurity right then, and there.
What was
really strange was the fact that I hadn't even
realized what I was about to do until the
inspiration took hold. This was what had occurred
to bring this work of art into manifestation:
To give a sense
of what this painting had looked like previously,
I would ask that the viewer try to ignore any
kind of lines, and attempt to focus only on the
fluency, and brilliance of the colors. Well, that
is exactly what I was doing prior to the
following spontaneous reaction. At first impulse
I ran into the living room and selected a soft
pencil. As usual, as I attempted to sketch anything, any kind of figure that could possibly turn into something recognizable I would become frustrated. So, I tossed the pencil on the bed thinking: "Who the hell am I trying to kid -- I can't draw for beans!"
It was then that the magic moment came: "CHALK,"
I thought to myself, "I need a piece of
chalk!" The strange part was that I hadn't the foggiest notion of what was about to take place. Standing on the bed, my weight causing a shaky moment of awkwardness, I began attempting my hand at sketching, groping
for the right place to begin. Gently, now,
because otherwise I would land on my behind, I
found that mysterious, initial point of execution.
I became so elated with the drawing-in-chalk
process that I truly began to feel what it was like to be
a full-fleged artist. Rarely, had I connected to such
profound feelings of elation and true inspiration
while creating a work of art. This was certainly
one of those rare moments.
Finally
becoming satisfied with the soft, pleasing outer
chalk-lines, I stood back and reveled in my
achievement. Then another inspiration hit me: The
chalk was not only too faint; it was certain to
wear off in time. You know that pencil I tossed
aside in the beginning? Well, I picked it up, and
for the first time I felt like I was actually
drawing. The real surprise followed when I
realized that the woman had her nose placed close
to the flower. "Flower!" my mind raced.
"But this is no ordinary flower - because
of the sensuality of such an effeminate nose, this
has got to be an Orchid."
True, I had
traced over the chalk-lines, but who sketched
them in the first place? God, did I feel great
after that experience. The next several days were
spent making sure that this flower represented a
specific orchid - and indeed, it was established
that this flower closely resembled a White
Cattleya Orchid.
Actually, I
felt so elated about the experience that I
developed postcards from this image and began
going around with them in an attempt to get a
gallery to take interest in my work.
And here's
another thing about this mysterious experience:
The very first person I made my pitch to was
Raphael Martinez, the owner of the prestigious
PLI Gallery on the upper East Side. Yes, he not
only gave me a warm welcome, he arranged an
exhibition of my paintings, which lasted over a
period of several months.
Here it is now, the summer of 2007 and I am looking forward to the beginning of September where I will continue seeking other galleries for representation to exhibit my work in other quaint galleries of New York.
Since my first exhibition in March 2007 had gone so well I have agreed to continue being represented by Agora Gallery. What I like about this gallery is that they are located right in the heart of Chelsea, New York. This art gallery certainly has a strong pulse within this trendy art district.
BELOW ARE LINKS TO VARIOUS TYPES AND VARIETIES OF ORCHID FLOWERS:
Orchid-Flowers.Original Art Paintings.com
Copyright (C) 2003 - 2007 Edward Longo, Original-Art-Paintings. All rights reserved.
|
