Fighting with Depression (acrylic on canvas 72’ x 48’, 2016) is a canvas that I created when I was dissatisfied with the lack of recognition my work received. By the time I finished the canvas I felt already in a better mood, so I added the swallow´s nest in the storm lantern. Don’t ask me … Continue reading HOW NOT TO GET DEPRESSED AS AN ARTIST
So you want to be Rich and Famous. Seriously?
This post 's aim is to make it easier to understand why fame & fortune is not easy to manage.
The Front Yard of Eden
After some cumbersome trekking I arrived at the center of my artistic universe. On top of this post you find an artistic impression that I´ve titled The Front Yard of Eden (acrylic on canvas 46 x 25 cm). To reach the front yard of Eden, the curious explorers will need to leave the beaten tourist … Continue reading The Front Yard of Eden
The Complexity of Simplicity
“Being simple is the most complicated thing nowadays.” -Ramana Pemmaraju The principle of simplicity or parsimony—broadly, is the idea that simpler explanations of observations should be preferred to more complex ones—is conventionally attributed to William of Occam, after whom it is traditionally referred to as Occam's razor. This does not mean that there will be … Continue reading The Complexity of Simplicity
Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
Let me start with the admission that most artistic projects are abandoned by their creators at a certain point. That doesn’t mean they’re unfinished projects: it just indicates that the artist moved on to other pastures of inspiration, style and interest. Everyone who’s artistically active, knows how difficult it is to resist the tsunami of … Continue reading Abandoned art vs. unfinished art.
About Analysis and Synthesis.
Since I became aware that lately became a little sloppy in giving regular updates, I decided to recycle on of my older posts where I was pondering about the tension field between artists and scientists. My general take upon this issue is that artists tend to have a synthetic approach towards the reality while scientists … Continue reading About Analysis and Synthesis.
Mystic Cyclical Synthetism.
My artistic approach found inspiration in Frank Zappa’s Project/Object concept for his work in various mediums. Each project (in whatever realm) is part of a larger object, that I call mystic cyclical synthetism.
Bloggers and Trends.
If your interests can be determined by an algorithm, this implicates that the majority of your choices are determined by external factors and not necessary in your own best interest.
Resurrection as a Literary Device.
Resurrection isn’t anymore the monopoly of theologians, priests and other religious leaders, but has become also a recurring subject of intense research and speculation among artists and scientists.
The Forest
The main purpose of this novel is to entertain the reader with a historical fantasy: a spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power, set against the canvas of North America, Europe and Asia during World War 1 and the ensuing great depression.
Transitions
During the past weeks the word transition was prominently echoing through my mind. The primary cause for it was that I’ve been traveling extensively lately before settling down again in one of my familiar lay backs, Grand Canary. Soon after my arrival, the island was hit by a heavy sandstorm (locally referred to as a … Continue reading Transitions
Fun TBR list
For those still looking for a 2020 reading resolution,
The Novel as a Source of Knowledge.
Novels, while not in the business of stating truths about the world, tell a human story very often universal in scope and present them back to us as concrete forms of human engagement. A novel has the capacity to give shape, form, and structure, to the range of values, concerns, and experiences that define human reality.
The Novel as an Infinite Literary Jest.
“Fiction’s about what it is to be a fucking human being.” One who gets lost in life and takes all those tales literally, can forget that novelist very often lie in order to explain some truth.
Why do people always want to read about misery?
The simple answer? Because it makes them feel fortunate.
The Decline of Reading
Those who read own the world, and those who watch television lose it.
Monomania and Literature.
The most common monomaniacal behavior associated with the literary field is of a very mundane nature: the obsession of writers with writing and that of the readers with reading.
Writers Writing for Writers.
The sheer abundance of writing, editing, publishing and promotion manuals for authors make me sometimes roll my eyes.
Pseudo-intellectualism in Modern Literature.
People who presume, not-entirely-unreasonable, that "literary fiction" represents a value judgment, fail to understand that "literary fiction" is just a marketing category (coined in the 1970's by publishing and book retailers) characterized by slower pacing, stylized prose, introspection and a focus on interior life over exterior action, a focus on character over plot. What they are not, though, are inherent markers of quality.
Human Couples as an Amalgam of Projects.
It’s my conviction that where an understanding of the three pillars (money, addiction and sex) are the fundamentals whereupon each long lasting relation rests, the common projects that allow each individual in a relation to grow, is the cement that holds the structure together.
Shaharee Vyaas 