Awakening Through Creating

awakening |  posted by Brian Rhea

To this point in my life, few authors have influenced my thinking to the degree that Wendell Berry’s work has over the past two years. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but for a long time I’ve lived with a sense that mankind is unwittingly driving toward a cliff, unaware or uninterested in stepping on the brake. I’m not thinking necessarily about arms proliferation, terrorism or nuclear war (although those things are scary enough); but about even more fundamental things like caring for the planet, where our food comes from and having an ecomony that values charity as much as greed and profit. So much attention is given to War & Peace between nations that the war our lifestyle and economy is waging on our very planet has gone largely unnoticed, and when it’s noticed, it’s mostly disregarded.

Wendell Berry’s essays (and my friends who read them) have been helpful in a number of ways: they have articulated what I’ve felt without knowing how to say it; they have made me aware of important things about which I have been clueless; and they have given me reason to believe and hope that the small decisions I make everyday will affect the future of our world.

“Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community” was the beginning (thanks for the recommendation, Shaun) but his essay “Renewing Husbandry” will be a big dot on the timeline of my life when I reflect on how I became who I am becoming.

I’ve been working on some new paintings based on the essays of Wendell Berry. The first one is called “The Tractor’s Arrival” and you can read “Renewing Husbandry” to learn why the story being told in the painting is worth telling. The second is called “The Failure of War” and it is inspired by an essay of the same name.

Brian Rhea, The Tractor's Arrival, 2006 Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas 24 x 18 inches

Brian Rhea, The Failure of War, 2006 Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas 24 x 18 inches

Finally, this portrait titled “Wendell Berry” is interspersed with text from “Compromise, Hell.”

Brian Rhea, Wendell Berry, 2006 Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas 48 x 36 inches

technorati tags: ART, WENDELL BERRY

Comments

[s.o]

man, those colors are amazing. thanks for sharing. This work is a great example, and I'm proud, of how we can interact with this inspiring body of texts. right with ya,s.o

[sushil yadav]

The link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues.The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature. Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment. Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct. Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel. Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet. Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist. Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking. If there are no gaps there is no emotion. Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion. When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing. There comes a time when there are almost no gaps. People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps. Emotion ends. Man becomes machine. A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety. A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety. A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety. FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT. SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS. A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY. A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/ WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF. To read the complete article please follow either of these links : PlanetSave EarthNewsWire sushil_yadav

[Brian Rhea]

Sushil,Thanks for your thoughts!

[Hale]

I think it's important to understand what is happening, and adapt (not conform) - adapt in a way that does not compromise our values. What practical steps can we take today to make a change? We all know that we aren't going to stop the Industrial Machine. But we can understand the beast and make small advances to stand firm in our convictions and, perhaps, bring someone along with us.It all starts somewhere.Brian - i really love your paintings. There's something about them that makes me want to look deeper. So often i have to force myself to care about what an artist is trying to express - in your case i can't help but care... and honestly i have come back several times to look again. Love it.

[Hale]

I think it's important to understand what is happening, and adapt (not conform) - adapt in a way that does not compromise our values. What practical steps can we take today to make a change? We all know that we aren't going to stop the Industrial Machine. But we can understand the beast and make small advances to stand firm in our convictions and, perhaps, bring someone along with us.It all starts somewhere.Brian - i really love your paintings. There's something about them that makes me want to look deeper. So often i have to force myself to care about what an artist is trying to express - in your case i can't help but care... and honestly i have come back several times to look again. Love it.

[Hale]

oops. i'm such a rookie.