“I paint with my back to the world.”
— Agnes Martin
A Heart Beats Within began as two bookmarks — a small experiment in hot and cold colors and the discipline of straight lines. Over time, they grew into a single image, a kind of reunion — part study, part meditation.
What began as practice became a reflection on structure and color — a quiet commentary on the merging of the mechanical and the self.
While refining the work, I recalled a lesson I often shared with my students: the 80/20 principle. You can always keep working and perfecting, but there’s a point where the essence is present — where the piece is alive and coherent. This artwork marks that balance: form and meaning are clear without endless revision.
transformation and renewal — how structure and energy evolve through process.
Cage says that somethings are always created out of nothing, the intangible, living void. They’re not a form of self-expression; instead they are a inner response. One starts with a structure that is empty and all possibilities are on the table. Wu-wei or effortless action, says that nothing should be forced.
~ https://www.kimmanleyort.com/
I am currently listening to “Where the Heart Beats” by John Cage. I knew Cage was a musician but never understood his music. Where the Heart Beats is a great read and an excellent audiobook. The man had a unique way of looking at the universe, both its natural and spiritual sides.
Doodling serves as a means of keeping the hand or fingers limber, so that they are always ready for serious work.
~ Charles E. Burchfield (https://www.azquotes.com/)
Nothing special to say. I wanted to share some work and one of my favorite artists, Charles E. Burchfield, the feeling he could evoke and the many communication signals he used to communicate through his work, experiences, time, and period.