First, my hope is that the information here will serve as "the rest of the story" in relation to my art. My current body of work directly relates (though sometimes metaphorically) to my experiences and realizations while exploring consciousness and fumbling my way through existence. If the journey itself was a book, then the artwork would be the accompanying illustrations. In this way, the experiences and discoveries go hand in hand with the artwork. The paintings supplement the text, while the text supplements the paintings.
Second, and more importantly, my hope is that the information here (and the associated artwork) will in some way tug at that (often hidden) inner drive to ask life's big questions. My desire is not to get people to agree with or take on my probable truths about the nature of existence. Instead, I hope to do nothing more than create a gentle nudge that might turn the readers/viewers to those big questions and encourage them to seek out their own interpretations of the truth - their own understanding of "all of this". I want to remind people of the absolute amazement that is around and within us. Maintaining some level of humility about what we actually know and also some level of amazement and curiosity toward finding out more is, as Robert Bruce once said, "to remain in the question".
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reasons for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. "
-Alber Einstein
If I can, even in some small way, encourage people to return (or remain) in that state of questioning and curiosity, then I have succeeded. That is the state in which growth and personal evolution occur. It is a state that promotes constant, long-term, positive change. Something that has always amazed me and is the driving force behind my desire to "spread the nudge" is that love, compassion, humility, etc are the natural results of this type of growth and personal evolution. A world in which the majority are fully embracing their own unique path of evolution and growth is a world that is awake and alive. As the level of awareness, understanding, and view of the big picture increases, so does the level of love, compassion, and caring. A world on that path sounds pretty good to me.
Justin
