Robzentaur1’s Blog

This, my latest drawing, is Iduna, Norse goddess of immortality. She carried her magic apples, containing the elixir of eternal youth, wherever she went. She bestowed the gift of Eternal youth upon Odin, Freya, and the other Norse gods and goddesses.

Created in May 2023 with a Wacom pen and Corel Painter 2019, this drawing has a background of interwoven circles, uniting all the different elements. This is symbolic of the inherent unity of all phenomena. The dove emerging from Iduna’s hair symbolizes tranquility and the chalice represents Agape, pure spiritual love. The Rune on the cup stands for god or goddess and represents the essence of spirit, soul, true nature.

As I get older I sometimes reflect on my own mortality and the nature of time and timelessness. Zen teaches us that all of space and time is Here and Now. Also that our True Nature was never born and cannot perish. Can we experience such a realm? Obviously many people will not inquire deeply into the matters. Why not?

In creating this drawing I was extremely focused, drawing each line carefully and precisely. I have a slight tremor in my right thumb which causes wavy lines if I hold the pen in the customary way. I have to constantly be aware of how I’m holding the digital pen in order to create smooth lines. This forces me to let go of extraneous thoughts while working. It becomes a meditation: the mind becomes very clear and at the same time acutely aware in the present moment. This is the true gift of Immortality.

This is low resolution copy. High resolution version available as a signed limited edition print. Please PM me for prices.

Reflecting on my art and the process flow takes me to places I wouldn’t otherwise visit. These two particular artworks represent many things to me, so I will try to articulate them clearly and hopefully convey something of the meaning to you, the reader.

Let’s start with science fiction and in particular, the Stanley Kubrick film: 2001. The first time I saw this movie in a theater I was almost literally blown away. The cinematography, the music, the realistic portrayal of life in space, followed by the mystical experiences of the protagonist, Dave, brilliantly underplayed by Kier Dullea, as he goes through profound experiences of accelerated aging, death and rebirth, of timelessness, wove an unforgettable tapestry into my consciousness. So these two pieces are a tribute to Stanley Kubrick, and to his film, which was based on a story by the great science fiction author, Arthur C Clarke.

Utopia vs Dystopia. Questions arose as I was creating these two paintings: Is there a perfect world? A perfect place somewhere in this world? A perfect inner state? A better planet on which we humans could start over? Can we create a future world that’s free from hunger, poverty, climate change, suffering? We seem to have a vague sense that there is, somehow, somewhere, but where is it? And can it truly be attained?

Many dystopian films, novels, TV shows, are being produced these days. Why are we obsessed with a ruined future for humanity? Is it a way to warn ourselves not to continue the consumption and pollution of our world? Can we slow and eventually reverse the radical population explosion that threatens all life on the planet?

In modern psychological astrology, Neptune is considered to be the planet of illusion and fantasy, of fateful fascination with glamour and of self undoing. A dystopian lifestyle of indulgence and addiction might look good on the outside, but it would bring painful results in the long run.

Neptune is also a transpersonal planet, signifying the dissolving of boundaries and dualities. It is a symbol for oneness, transcendence, timelessness, miracles, synchronicities. Obviously, the physical planet is not habitable so it could never be a true Utopia. In the first painting it is a representation of refuge, a place of transcendence. In the second painting I wanted Neptune to symbolize a dystopian place (hence the crack), also an inner dystopia, a lifestyle of unconscious and addictive behaviour.

While creating these pieces I was reflecting on my progress toward minting NFT art. Back in June 2021 I was tempted to just post all my best paintings on Opensea.com, the largest and most openly available site for NFT’s and see what happens. Since then, I have slowed considerably, continuing to reflect on my best possible path; my options and opportunities. First, I want to finish and post my new website. Artbyinglis.com will be reborn sometime in September. I also now understand that the wise and careful choice of an NFT website will be of great importance to my ongoing career as an artist and for my financial future.

I believe I can create a comfortable income from my art in the next few decades, while I travel and continue my experiment with slowing the aging process. Also, a steady income will allow me to continue to paint in total freedom! My personal art Utopia! My artist ego will be overjoyed!

Drums Along The Nile. Digital 2021.

This painting was created in a Flow state. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and discoverer of Flow, this state is recognizable by 6 characteristics:

1. Complete concentration on a limited field of creativity or information. Attention locked onto the task. Enjoyment in the here and now.
2. Merging of action and awareness. No longer able to separate the doer from the activity being done.
3. Sense of Self vanishing. In flow our sense of self melts, or even at times disappears.
4. Altered sense of time. Time may slow down or speed up depending on the person and the activity.
5. Sense of control. We become the pure energy of creativity.
6. The activity is its own reward. We may have a specific goal, such as remuneration for our efforts, but the pure act of creativity brings its own joy.
7. We will experience joy spontaneously arising from within. This could be analyzed in terms of brain chemistry and neuroscience, but the process of Flow will always have an element of mystery or we could say: the Mystical!
8. Instagram: RobZentaur1

Art, Mind & Money

 For many years I have been drawing, designing, painting, and creating. Sometimes I take inspiration from the work of the great masters, past and present.  At times, quite simply, I paint because I have no choice. I am an artist. 

Comparisons of my own work with that of other artists, living or dead, gets me nowhere. If I get caught up in thoughts about what you like or whether you will approve of my work, or whether you will pay me for products of my artistic labors, I get stuck in self concerns and projections. That is not pure creativity.

If I am focused on my painting moment by moment, with mind relatively clear, then I am in the flow and nothing else really matters.

Years ago, I did a lot of work using the stipple technique with a technical pen, consisting of thousands of dots, creating an illusion of three dimensionality. Because of the repetitious nature of the method, I found myself thinking about all kinds of other things while drawing. Noticing the wandering mind, I would just focus on creating those dots, and not follow the train of thought. This turned drawing into a meditative process. That was very refreshing, and I found the creative inspiration arose very naturally.

In the pen & ink drawing below, created in 1986, I initially set out to create a portrait, and I didn’t know what the end product would look like. The costume, the various symbolic animals, and the background came from a pure creative source which I cannot claim to own.

If I sit down and try to create a painting that will sell, or get ‘likes’ on social media, I usually do not find much joy in it because I’m trying to guess what other people’s reactions will be. I have always been fortunate in that I do not have any pressure to sell my art. This allows me to paint and draw in a very free process. It also contributes to the joy, the sheer fun and satisfaction of experimentation. Curiosity is a big driver for me. How will this turn out? What if I apply a different brush to that area? Oh, that’s interesting. Let’s try some more of that. Or perhaps a new lighting effect? I find digital painting has expanded my artistic horizons a thousand-fold.

Recently I have decided to jump on the NFT (non-fungible tokens) train and see if I could sell some of my art for crypto currency. I came to realize that other people’s opinions of my art would matter a lot if I was to make real money.  So I decided to redesign my art website, post some of my best work on Instagram, revive my blog, and just generally get more recognition from the public and from fellow artists.  Frankly, this has been a struggle. I am not naturally inclined towards marketing and learning all the various new strategies has proved somewhat difficult. I find myself wanting to paint rather than promoting my paintings. 

So I picked up a book on peak performance, ‘The Art of Impossible’ by Steven Kotler, and am learning Passion, Purpose and Persistence, and some progress is being made. I am beginning to enjoy dealing with the many challenges. And not saying “I’ve had enough.” when the going gets tough!

To be continued…….

The Muse can sometimes visit when you least expect her. So I always have a set of pens and pencils with me. Even as a primarily digital artist I find sketching so fulfilling. Some of my sketches get scanned and become full paintings while some get visited in the future as I leaf through old sketch books. Always wonderful to see work created decades ago. It shows what progress I’ve made but most, important for my soul, the pure expression of that moment in space/ time. 

I feel that I could spend most of my days creating new works, painting, painting, painting. The muse seems to always be close by, available, whispering, sometimes shouting in my ear. Unfortunately other matters hold priority right now. I’m working on my new Astrology and Tarot website and that’s a very slow process. I wish the muse would visit me more frequently over there.

If you are an artist I suggest to you that your job is to invite the Muse, before anything. What does she/ he look like? What is her preferred medium? When is he/ she happiest? Is it when you start something, or when you are finished? Get to know that part of you and the muse will remain close, always ready to inspire and uplift you. I have a close friend, a psychotherapist that tells me “You must paint and give voice to the joy in your soul, otherwise an important part of you gets shut down. If ignored for too long it will make you unhappy, and you, in forgetfulness of the Muse, will not know why you are feeling so low.”

Oh inspiration, goddess of all beauty and creativity within, please stay close. Let me always be in tune with your light and color and give form to your formless true being.