I currently make paintings on canvas in acrylics, oils, ink, and found objects. My work is an invitation for the viewer to consider the nature of his or her own consciousness. It incorporates illustrations of my own spiritual beliefs, such as the belief in a single point of origin for all ideas. It also discusses language as the primary provider of “material” identity. Language is a cognitive tool which determines a temporary identity.
Eternal and universal identity can only be accessed through intuition, which lies beyond language. By creating a personal visual language, I provide myself with an identity. I believe the spiritual quest is a pursuit for true identity, and that the development of identity depends upon the integration of the disparate sectors of the mind. To me, the greatest work of art would be an algorithm housed in a machine which people could enter and then emerge more integrated in their life experience. Ideally, I would like to create work which would allow viewers to access the vastest level of consciousness. This goal, being virtually unattainable, will never be exhausted. The desire for spirituality manifests itself in the forms of love and levity, feelings which I express in my paintings.
While addressing universal ideas on consciousness, my paintings also speak on what it means to live in a technologically advanced society of consumables. They comment on my identity as a painter operating within the contexts of grand ideas and digitally produced advertising. My primary conceptual motivation is derived from the contradiction and struggle between realized and idealized being. Painting allows me to easily manipulate symbols for effective presentation of concepts.

Original oil and acrylic paintings on canvas
addressing themes of language, identity and the nature of being
stewellington.com
submission date: 15 January 2002