Perceptions

I have just finished my first series: Perceptions; it is a journey that took me a year to make and has completely changed the way I paint. Individual paintings are very much like short stories; they make a statement that begins and ends with a single work. It takes me on average two to four weeks to complete a painting. This series has taken me nearly a year to complete and to me is much more reminiscent of a novel where you can look at a single theme from many different perspectives.

In the series the paintings center around eyes because when most people first think about perception the concept that pops into their mind is the idea of vision. When I first began the series I wondered if there would be enough material to merit an entire series, but I soon discovered that this particular well runs deep in that how we perceive the world is central to everything we do. I could go on and on talking about perception, but don't worry I won't. I will say this though, I believe that the way we as people understand the world around us is far more complex and more emotional than we ever realize.

If I were to look at my mother, for instance, I do not have the perception of just one thing. I perceive the love that she has for me, the love that I have for her, all of the birthdays and holidays that we have shared together, the arguments, the apologies, and the thousand other experiences and memories that we have together. All of these single events have a purity of their own and combine together to form the singular ever-changing form of my mother. In my painting of this series I have tried to recognize this concept by separating each color so that they stand alone in the paintings but come together to form one image.

Understanding, I believe, is when one person's perception matches another's. Frustration comes from this rarely happening, the miracle is that it happens at all.

Let's start at the beginning...

Hi, I'm John Bramblitt and welcome to my blog.
I suppose you're wondering what this blog is about, I don't really know I've ever had a blog before - there will definitely be some art, some writing and other things like that going on. I'm expecting some guest appearances from my wife, family and friends- perhaps even some people that I don't know will pop in. Who knows? This is my first time, but we should really get started.
All we need is a beginning, just something to get the ball rolling. Anything really - just some sort of ramble. Doesn't even have to be that coherent just so long as it’s short -- we are the TV generation after all. Just something that goes on and on about nothing at all. Some sort of rant that just lets people know that we have started, that the blog in fact has begun... you know like in those old black-and-white movies where the father would walk up to the fireplace and put his foot up on the hearth and his arm on the mantle while the family gathered round him gazing up expectantly waiting for the words of wisdom that were sure to follow... OR how the hero in an action movie who may have only spoken five words in the last two hours turns his blood spattered face to the camera and explains how all he wants is peace.
Something like that...
Nope, I'm drawing a blank; maybe we'll start this thing later.