Formless

One might wonder what "Formless" means.  Why would I choose this
title?  The answer came to me even before this drawing was begun.  I
had just finished reading a book titled "A New Earth" by Eckart
Tolle (pro. "tow-lee").  He is a contemporary teacher of mindfulness
who lives in British Columbia and lectures around the world.  He
often delves deeply into the nature of the mind.  In his first book
"The Power of Now" he wrote of an experience he had which profoundly
changed him.

Tolle speaks about form and formless things.  Things like compassion,
love, empathy, generosity and gratitude are examples of experiences
which come to us through "the formless." Things like hate, fear,
desire, anger and selfishness are examples of "form" which only the
ego can generate.  So, for the sake of simplicity, we he states that
any experience NOT of the ego, comes from "the formless" universe. 
We as humans deal with our selves both as conscious beings mindfully
capable of accessing with wonder the nature of all that is happening
in the here and now.  We also suffer because we unconsciously let
our ego's take over.  We clutter our minds with thoughts and
emotions (and distractions) to the point where we cling further to
forms our mind constructs -- each of which contribute to not only our
insanity but collectively in the world as well.

My drawing is an attempt to capture not only the intricate detail of
a variety of inter-related designs, but it is also an attempt to
draw attention to all that you do not see -- namely the areas where
you "see" nothing.  It is difficult for the human eye (and mind) to
see the beauty in these inward (or outward) flowing bodies of white
light.  We see them as "those areas between the designs" but is that
all we see?  Possibly!  Yet, a curious and inquiring mind might also
question if it is possible to see both the forms (designs) and the
non-forms (formless white space) as being related in some equal way.

If my drawing was a three dimensional 4 cubic foot "object" with the
nucleus at its center, it would roughly contain about 50% design and
50% space.  This would truly be quite complex!  I like to think each
is infinite and completely related in and of themselves.  

The forms mingle with their "formless" counterparts.  We are moved by
beauty but we ourselves cannot "make" beauty.  We simply recognize it
when we consciously see it.


Image 1 of 9 - Lower right extention detail (4 o'clock position)


Image 2 of 9 - Lower left-of-center extention detail (7 o'clock position)


Image 3 of 9 - Left-middle extention detail (8 o'clock position)


Image 4 of 9 - Left-middle extention detail (9 o'clock position)


Image 5 of 9 - Lower right extention detail (4 o'clock position)


Image 6 of 9 - upper center right extention detail (noon and 1 o'clock positions)


Image 7 of 9 - right middle extention detail (3 o'clock position)


Image 8 of 9 - right lower-middle extention detail (3:30 o'clock position)


Image 9 of 9 - center detail




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