PAINTING & CONSCIOUSNESS – Video Excerpts

Excerpts from the online course PAINTING AND CONSCIOUSNESS, PART ONE, 2021.
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Excerpt One, “Being in the Water”: In this excerpt, while looking at images of Giacometti’s paintings from the Guggenheim retrospective in 2018, Jordan speaks about the collapse of the boundary between the sense of “inside me” and “the world out there”, the courage needed to sustain “letting go” in pursuit of this collapse, and the recognition of unconventional beauty. Approximately 17 minutes. Free streaming.

Excerpt Two, “Locating Honest Desire”: During this excerpt, Jordan demonstrates drawing with charcoal and working from observation as a means of investing his energy into the material. Discarding the need for legibility, Jordan allows the mark to simply carry the trace of his seeing. Among the questions addressed is what is the difference between a contemplative drawing practice and an ecstatic drawing practice? What are the attributes of our specific way of working that lead to a deeper engagement? What does it mean to locate honest desire? “Awareness is always here…My experience of myself thins…gets thinner and less solid…” Approximately 24 minutes.

Excerpt Three, “Using the Situation to Expand”: In this excerpt Jordan demonstrates painting in black and white oils, working from still life. Maintaining his attention on the observed motif, he allows the marking to occur without the need for clarity or legibility; the marking becomes a “trace” of his engagement. As the marks accumulate and the paint becomes dense, Jordan refers to John Berger and speaks about the energy “behind appearances”. “Curiously, when we just stay engaged – in whatever terms formally that engagement takes – the physical image starts to get charged. It just starts to embody our awareness…It’s sort of like we’re spreading into more form…” Approximately 26 minutes.

Excerpt Four, “In My State of Mind, an Openness”: Jordan speaks about the rhythm of engagement throughout the ebb and flow of the work, and the importance of staying attentive. How does one return to the work after the initial outpouring and high energy marking? How to return to the work and keep it open, allowing for the painting to arrive at resolution in its own terms? Approximately 10 minutes.

Excerpt One and Excerpt Four are both available for FREE STREAMING. Excerpt Two and Excerpt Three are available for a nominal fee.

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