ABOUT 'FLOW STATE'

I often consider the psychology of creativity and this has led to my painting process referring to the concept of creativity itself and the balance of order and chaos.

When we ask ourselves ‘Where do dreams come from?’, we are led to the question of ‘where do ideas come from?’. Dreams would indicate that some of our less predictable ideas can come to us from our subconscious. I often enter the studio the morning after a productive painting session and find myself wondering ‘wow, who painted that?’.  This is a sign that I’ve been in, what the Taoists would call, the ‘flow state’.

The flow state is a quietness of mind resulting in an altered state of consciousness. When in flow and minimising distractions you are able to channel a sub-conscious heightened awareness. Many artists will describe being oblivious of the passage of time as they ‘lose themselves’ in their work. Without the use of source imagery at the time of painting and working with no initial drawing I can minimise the connection to more conscious thoughts in the initial stages. The latter stages of evaluation and refinement can be made on a much more conscious level. 

The paintings in this exhibition show the products of maximising and embracing the flow state.