Art as Story
The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories have come to you, care for them and learn to give them away when needed. Sometimes a person needs a good story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put stories in one another’s memory. This is how people care for themselves.
Barry Lopez from “Crow and Weasel”
I believe that art works have the power to heal, to uplift, and to reconnect us to our innermost self, to inspire empathy and relation – to open the door, however briefly to “I and Thou”. The viewer may find themselves impelled to stop, to give their attention, and enter into a moment of mindfulness and close attention; a moment when all the rushing of our daily lives stops and we can respond with heightened awareness and growing empathy.. Such attentive looking can inspire us to break out of our habituated consciousness and to re-engage with our world and our relationships with a renewed sense of connection, wonder, compassion, and vision.
Trained as a printmaker and draftswoman, I particularly love the art of fine drawing using the classical style of detailed crosshatching. I have been seeking a media which would be sensitive to my love of drawing, my need for quiet reflection and meditation, my love of fine detail, and my fascination with the traditions of early renaissance realism and spirituality exemplified in the works of such artists as Botticelli, Giotto, Lippi, Rubelov, and others from the traditions of Italian Spiritual Art and Russian Iconography. Thus, I chose egg tempera.
Egg tempera is endlessly fascinating to me as a media – from the fine hand grinding of pigments to the gentle washing of the fragile fresh egg yolk, to the incredibly precise mixing of colors and values, to the delicate layering of strokes which slowly and meticulously build up the painting with luminosity and form. I feel a sense of stillness in motion and timelessness as the painting develops and fills with color, light, and spirit.
My intention is to inspire a story through the juxtaposition of metaphorical elements and attention to detail. Each image is imbued with many layers of paint and narrative: my personal story, narratives to be discovered and interpreted by each viewer, cultural and historical narratives, and the deeply personal stories, memories, and reflections of each viewer. Each image offers the beholder a gateway.
Works of art can transport and transform us – both as artists and as beholders. They invite us to participate in a journey of discovery and of reflection. Ultimately, they can become paths to deeper awareness and appreciation, deeper looking, attending, and understanding; part of a larger journey of mindful living and a quest for spiritual meaning.
I invite you to find the story that will speak to you and take care of you….
Cynthia Vascak