A place where we can get all Contextual. Of course this will lead to topics beyond art, (if that is possible but let's keep it centred on it's role,evolution and what we forsee in the future of art and it's relationship with the world and universe.

Inspired by some recent online conversations regarding if "Visionary art" was state specific and as engaging as it is alienating.

Post some ideas, recommend things to read , quotes ,inner most feelings, questions,ideas,theories,predictions and predicaments (if any ) and artistic and social commentary etc

Something i wrote in reply when i felt coherent ;

I think All art could be termed 'state specific' I can only imagine visionary art alienating those who either feel perplexed or unfamiliar to the conveyed state. Yet at the same time, the whole point (or at least part of) is to point towards the transcendence of the solid state{specific}

Alchemical art and it's iconology was demonstration of the notion that held within a blend of chemistry,physics and all things under the 'Meta' umbrella; the labyrinth of the soul can be unveiled. The 7 stages of alchemy , notably the 'last' , Coagulation is all about unifying the realm of matter and spirit . as opposed to the astrally fragmented trans-migotory state most of us sift between.

With science being the logical extension of alchemy, i foresee , or probably more accurately, have already noticed, that visionary art that combines 21st century understanding of science and a timeless understanding of transcendentalism has the potential to engage a wider and more diverse audience;Those more receptive to the right hemisphere and those more receptive to the left. (And those who have already established a healthy equidistant pivot between between the two.)

A very large ammount of 'vionsary' art appears to be very 'Third-Eye'solated'. Neither a good or a bad thing, just a reflection.

As in , very often it appears purely as projection of the 'third' or inner eye 'only'. Where as i imagine art that which conveys the 'lower' energetic expressions as well as the higher , will unifiy/ coagulate it all and provide us with a 'clearer' vantage point on our understanding of the 'unknown'.

Art that engages both hemispheres and conveys as much as possible in as little as possible, or vice-versa.

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The Mystical/Visionary/psychedelic experience , or literary accounts of such experiences exist as far back in time as we care to look. Whether we look at the cave paintings that suddenly appeared to have a sudden outburst of extreme abstract thought injected in to them, or to the religously mystical experience of Moses and his mystical apparition /hallucination of the burning bush ,we notice that mysticism is just as much a part of our social world veiw, whether we are directly familiar with mystical or trans-rational /transcendental experiences or not.



Feel free to continue or to bring up any of the infinite ideas that are out there. Maybe someone can throw out a really difficult, yet open ended question for us to explore together , and in turn, learn share and expand

Just rememberd this was put up recently too. Will watch it later .

This can be a very elusive subject, even for someone such as myself who has spent most of his adult life centered in the visionary art paradigm.

I'm primarily an abstract artist, and by definition abstract art will speak to fewer people. Escher had a big influence on my early art, and I remember a comment he made relating to why his geometric abstractions tended to have snakes, lizards, angels and devils, etc, rather than being pure abstraction: simply so that our primate brains can relate to it. This is a nontrivial point- art must speak in a voice that can be heard, in a language that is at least somewhat universal.

But I am a purist. When I trip, I don't see frogs and snakes and people. I see pure abstraction, of all varieties, rich with implied linguistic meaning. So that's what I paint. I still aim to give it universal qualities, such as beauty, and am deeply focused on the specifics of visual language and what can be said with pure abstraction. So in a sense you could say that it's third eye-solated to some extent. But I enter into this challenge willingly.

Part of the so-called alchemy of what I'm attempting to do is to wed the spirit of historic mystical traditions with contemporary understandings of how the brain works, how language works, and how visual language can affect the viewer. You can easily make art that is happy or sad, aggressive or tranquil, etc; without any pictorial narrative elements. With this understanding as a foundation, part of my goal is to aim for something much more specific.

I believe that a big part of the intent behind a lot of art is to convey something larger than the everyday experience. If an artist can crack through that shell and provide the viewer with an experience that takes them outside of themselves for a moment, they have succeeded in making that person's world a larger place, and in the process, pointed toward the possibility of even larger worldviews. In an open minded viewer, this can lead at least for a moment to a truly transcendental awareness. IMO that is one of the highest goals an artist can aspire to.

One thing I have always believed is that art often shows something to someone that, while they may not have previously been aware of, they've always known. I think this is at the heart of a transcendental experience (at least, it always has been for me). But the strength of the link between the viewer and the transcendental varies. Often, one who has spent time with psychedelics will end up with a stronger tie, and thus be more comfortable with, or drawn to, certain imagery. Alex Grey is one of my favorite artists. I had Tool albums, and I remember seeing his art before I ever got into psychedelics. After psychedelic use, his art has taken on a whole new meaning. I have never quite been to the places his art depicts, but when I get even a whiff of the spirit, I know.

So, I think one of the reasons for the lower prominence of visionary art is that there are not that many people who are comfortable with the transcendental. Often, to a non-tripper or non-meditator works like Alex Grey's can be even uncomfortable, if not simply just missing the target.

Even if that is true, I do believe there is something to the visionary genre that is universal. If nothing else, it seems to be some of the most unique and creative art available.

That's very interesting about Escher, too. It makes sense, though I had never realized what he was doing by introducing animals to the work. I love the works of mine that are pure abstractions, but often they are the least popular. Abstract work is some of my favorite, because it seems to me that it is the clearest window into the artists head. I can often see how my brain is similar to others by the way an artist creates abstractions.