Original Silk-Featherbrush Art & Style

Art-Notes on Song of Love and Compassion

12/14/2018

When I look at this artwork in its current form, I am reminded of the late art critic Bertha Husband's description of the style and technique known as "real" painting. In her review of the ELEMENTAL Exhibit then on display at the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia, she actually excluded from the definition my own fondness for mixed media and growing appreciation of the digital canvas. But what I find applicable from her review and relevant to my experience with this work is Ms. Husband's observation about the artist confronting a blank canvas with just the following:

"...an idea that cannot be expressed in words, and perhaps just a few sketches. The painting is realized in the process of its creation, and the end result can often surprise the painter, himself."

That entire last sentence and the part about being surprised oneself is especially true in the case of Song of Love and Compassion. Believe it or not, it started out as a light sketch for pages containing single words popping up out of a book (I still might try that again). Or maybe just one page containing a quote. In the course of considering things like text fonts and placement, I got so carried away with fusions of colors and lyrical lines until what was supposed to be something more concrete and representational evolved into an abstract celebration of shared humanity. I wasn't just surprised. I was flat-out stunned.

Different people looking at this artwork might tend to see different things. Some may see a mysterious cloaked (possibly winged) figure that appears to be either ascending or descending in a cloud of chromatic light. Others discern something along the lines of space nebulae, a jeweled tapestry, or a simple colorful holiday greeting card. What I see and feel is a small tribute in the form of a visual ode to the ordinary folks of this world who continue to give life invaluable meaning just by treating each other with such tax-free things as kindness, compassion, and mutual respect.

Aberjhani
©14 July 2018

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Thank You for all the support

12/3/2018

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I have received a lot of encouragement from the great community at Fine Art America since joining a couple of months ago and today was notified about my first sale. It is for of a pack of Official Chromatic Poetics greeting cards titled “Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge The Morning After Hurricane Matthew No. 2.”

Have to admit to being very moved by the sale of this particular image because the black and white composition was inspired by the work of my late great friend photographer Jack Leigh.

With hurricane season now fully upon us, this particular image along with the artwork titled “The Hurricane and the Confederate Monuments” make good reminders to plan ahead for possible catastrophic weather conditions. The link is to the Talmadge Bridge image that sold.

Aberjhani

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Appreciating Beauty of Magnificent Fountains of the World

11/30/2018

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Fountains are among the most admired ornamental man-made structures because they combine the artistic beauty of refined sculpture with the precision of engineering and architecture. Celebrated examples can be found all over the world, including in Savannah, Georgia.

One of the city's most famous is the subject of two new Postered Chromatic Poetics images. Below is the text for them and although I like both, I confess to being particularly pleased by the results achieved with Champagne Twilight:

CHAMPAGNE TWILIGHT: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

The elegantly-sculpted Forsyth Park Fountain, also referred to as the Versailles Fountain, dates back to the 1850s when model for it was derived from French-styled designs of the period. Along with the Confederate Monument, this is one of the primary centerpieces of Forsyth Park. The present-day fountain is the result of many renovations over the past century and a half, including a complete restoration in 1988.

A robed woman adorns the top of the fountain as water birds and tritons (or mermen) spout water below. In addition to benches that allow passersby to sit and enjoy the view, the fountain is surrounded by moss-covered oaks, palm trees, magnolias, and elms.

Prior to becoming known as Forsyth Park, the location during the Civil War was the South Common military encampment where POWS and a hospital were maintained.

SEPIA AFTERNOON: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

A solitary figure stops in front the Forsyth Park Fountain to enjoy one of the city of Savannah's most popular and majestic attractions.

Ever since the days following the American Civil War, the fountain has been a favorite location for residents and visitors alike to take photographs. During the war, the park was known as the South Common military encampment where prisoners of war, a hospital, and poor house were maintained.

The fountain's spraying water is dyed green every year in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. In this image, late afternoon sunlight on a hot summer day creates an amber sepia haze that colors the air and water, slightly clarified and enhanced by digital filter.

Aberjhani

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Dare to Love Life on National Selfie Day and Always

11/30/2018

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The Dare to Love Yourself "movement" had nothing to do with National Selfie Day when it began to slowly develop ten years ago. The well-known quote--"Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends."-- as many are now aware, originated with the poem Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying.

The poem was first published in the book The Bridge of Silver Wings and later in The River of Winged Dreams. It has become increasingly popular over the past few years as a rallying cry to support suicide prevention and to discourage suicide bombers. The association with National Selfie Day was never intentional but obviously a natural one which hopefully helps encourage not narcissism but a positive healthy self-image and a deep appreciation for all life.

The following descriptions are for images which celebrate the potential healing capacity of love in all our lives:

AS GOES LOVE, SO GOES LIFE

The title of this artwork comes from the poem "The Poet-Angels Who Came to Dinner" published in the book The River of winged Dreams. An earlier alternative version features a different color scheme.

The design used for this one was chosen because instead of idealizing hopes centered around romantic love, it seeks to evoke to many nuances of all kinds of love: family, spiritual, friendship, joy of living, pursuit of creative goals, etc. It also acknowledges that Love is often as much a struggle to maintain as it is a pleasure to be enjoyed.

The complete first stanza of the poem from which the quotation was taken reads as follows:

I.
Neither had been invited but both were welcomed.
They spoke through wordless intuition, cool nods of
"Peace-Be-Still," and, "As-Goes-Love-So-Goes-Life."

DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF ON NATIONAL SELFIE DAY

Loving yourself isn't just about the photographs we post to our social media profiles to show the world we know how to have fun. It's mostly about recognizing where we fit in the larger scheme and how our lives contribute meaning and value to the world. This the poem, published in The River of Winged Dreams, from which the dare-to-love-yourself quote is taken:

Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying

1.
As you bury flesh––
honor spirit, savor hope,
cherish memory.

Consider heaven
as a world-weary stranger
asleep in your heart.

Quote words that affirm
all men and women are your
brothers and sisters.

Pull the child away
from feeding at the mule’s tail.
Give the baby food.

2.
Compassion crowns the soul with its true st victory.
Hearts rebuilt from hope resurrect dreams killed by hate.
Souls reconstructed with faith transform agony into peace.
Wisdom applied internally corrects ignorance lived externally.

3.
Dare to love yourself
as if you were a rainbow
with gold at both ends.

Write a soft poem
to one you called bitch, shit head,
nigger, fag, white trash.

Live certain days dressed
in your lover’s smiling soul
while she, he, wears yours.

Imagine your mind
wings intent on expanding
and watch your joy fly.

Aberjhani
May 2017

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The Mysterious Wonder of Birds and Winged Horses

11/30/2018

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Who hasn't at some point wished they could just fly off somewhere, like birds or other winged things, without dishing out cash for a ticket or becoming unwillingly intimate with pat-down procedures?

My homage to winged beings actually began a long time ago but in recent years I have I approached a favorite symbol from a new angle with new images:

BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT OF PEGASUS AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE

"In the valley of the shadow of broken worlds your wings dazzled and light reclaimed its beautiful power." (from The River of Winged Dreams)

The winged horse Pegasus and the Golden Eagle are two of our most powerful symbols from mythology and nature. The beauty of both have been known to inspire courage and hopefulness during times of personal crisis or chaotic upheavals in the world.

The quote in fact is from a poem about Christmas, but you think about all the disorder and instability currently shaking up world communities it fits well.
The sample presented with this post is a horizontal detail from the larger piece.

WE’RE STILL HERE AND HOPE YOU ARE TOO

This shot of 4 seagulls on a River Street pier in Savannah, Georgia, is another taken the morning after Hurricane Matthew downed trees and swept water throughout the city.

A lot of people avoided the threat of physical from the hurricane by evacuating the city before it hit. Others huddled together either in the sturdiest structures they could find or wherever they happened to be.

But it always seems a mystery how seagulls and other birds and animals manage to survive such powerful weather events then show up the next day looking as calm as this flock. To me, their countenance seems to quietly state: We are still here and hope you are too.

Aberjhani
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Co-author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love

Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

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Art-Notes on Song of Love and Compassion

Contact the Artist

Thank You for all the support

Contact the Artist

Appreciating Beauty of Magnificent Fountains of the World

CHAMPAGNE TWILIGHT: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

SEPIA AFTERNOON: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

Contact the Artist

Dare to Love Life on National Selfie Day and Always

AS GOES LOVE, SO GOES LIFE

DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF ON NATIONAL SELFIE DAY

Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying

Contact the Artist

The Mysterious Wonder of Birds and Winged Horses

BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT OF PEGASUS AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE

WE’RE STILL HERE AND HOPE YOU ARE TOO

Aberjhani
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Co-author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love

Contact the Artist

Artist-Author Aberjhani

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Art-Notes on Song of Love and Compassion

Contact the Artist

Thank You for all the support

Contact the Artist

Appreciating Beauty of Magnificent Fountains of the World

CHAMPAGNE TWILIGHT: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

​SEPIA AFTERNOON: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

​Contact the Artist

Dare to Love Life on National Selfie Day and Always

AS GOES LOVE, SO GOES LIFE

​DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF ON NATIONAL SELFIE DAY

Angel of Healing: for the Living, the Dying, and the Praying

Contact the Artist

The Mysterious Wonder of Birds and Winged Horses

BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT OF PEGASUS AND THE GOLDEN EAGLE

WE’RE STILL HERE AND HOPE YOU ARE TOO

Aberjhani Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle Co-author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love

Contact the Artist

Artist-Author Aberjhani

Archives

Categories

SEPIA AFTERNOON: FORSYTH PARK FOUNTAIN IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (USA)

Contact the Artist

DARE TO LOVE YOURSELF ON NATIONAL SELFIE DAY

Aberjhani
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Co-author of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love