November 2007, Featured Artist: Merlin Emrys
The Joy of Painting
When you abstract the essence of music and visual art, an underlying structure, form and rhythm can be discerned.
The notes, rhythm and tempo of a musical piece can evoke thoughts, feelings and sensations, much the same as colors, texture, strokes and shapes in a painting. This is certainly true in my art, which is a mirroring of my internal landscape as well as a reflection of what is happening externally.
My paintings, because they are abstract, are essentially energy made visible. They are an exploration of the interplay between form and formlessness, emergence and dissolution, using color, texture, and the strokes of the palette knife upon the canvas.
To create my paintings, I have to be willing to confront myself, the unknown, the shining void, to go deep within — to go crazy, even, albeit a somewhat controlled madness. It takes courage, and ongoing questing. Otherwise the vitality and energy and life and spirit could not come through