"Satori"
symbolism and intention
"Satori is the Japanese term for a moment of presence or the arising
of inner spaciousness. The title was not planned at the onset of the
painting, however, it is what it became, based on a book I was reading
at the time.
To avoid the complexity of a large painting, I wanted to paint
something simple. I chose to use a large piece of foam core for the
background and laminate wood planks for the floor. I liked the
contrast of the white material to the black table, and chose the
blue glass ball to complement the orange of the floor.
The spiraling light at the top of the painting happened accidentally.
As I was working on the painting, sunlight refracted from a cracked
piece of glass in the studio window. I knew it would only last a minute
and never come back so I photographed it for reference.
Floating the glass ball and painting what is reflected in it was as fun
as painting the white cloth. White satin absorbs and reflects everything.
I exagerated parts of the cloth so the viewer could easily see what I did.
My choice to soften the focus going toward the wall was intended to
keep the viewers' eyes where I wanted them to go.
The idea that the glass ball is rising to the refracted light is as the title
suggests: the light is a moment of presence and the glass will be present
even though in the painting, it has only begun to rise.
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