Visual Explorations

Philosophy is often presented as the fundamental interpretative tool, but art can also serve this role. Visual Explorations is the online art showcase of the Global Spiral. Every monthly issue will present a “visual exploration” through painting, sculpture, photography, and images from the sciences, expanding our understanding of foundational questions.

Artist Statement

One of my colleagues says my art “touches on the powerful, universal energy that connects man to spirit”. My work is spiritual and centering, told with simplicity, expressing in color and composition what cannot be spoken with words. It embodies the music, harmony, and mystery of the Universe, the underlying energy of our world, the music of being within all things, creating a peaceful, harmonious space wherein one can experience silence, stillpoint, and oneness with all. It continues to engage, excite, and nurture however often you view it.

Many paintings emerge with no prior idea or theme. As soon as paint is applied, the process tells me what to do next. At some point in this process I become aware of a deeper meaning and I keep this in mind as I continue. Whether figurative or abstract, color and design are most important to me.

Sometimes I feel shapes and lines as life energy flowing through space, at times forming recognizable objects, other times, abstract shapes. Subjects such as figures or stones come into being from pure abstraction. I often use the circle as a symbol for peace: complete, whole, the still-point, a stopping place which draws one into other dimensions. They are powerful and energizing in their stillness. I like to create a tension that flows back and forth between circle and line.

As a teenager I worked in oils but when acrylics came out I switched as I could handle them just as well and they dried so much faster. I experiment with acrylics, texture, and the new acrylic mediums that continue to appear. Recently I have been using a mouth atomizer to blow acrylics formulated for air brushes. I love trying new media so I also work with watercolors, inks, oil pastels, Polaroid emulsion transfers, monotypes and serigraph prints. My latest foray is into digital images created from photos I have taken with my digital camera and manipulated in Photoshop. I love the experimentation involved with all these media and combinations of media.

More paintings by Barbara Ragalyi in this issue...