Temenos Series

"Temenos #2: Resolution of Tensions"

"Temenos #3: The Sculptor"

"Temenos #8: The Poet"

"Temenos #9: The Writer"

The focus of this series centers around the places in which artists and creative individuals of all kinds pursue their activities. In his book Free Play, Stephen Nachmanovitch speaks of how the ancient Greeks referred to the sacred place set aside for such pursuits as the temenos, or "play space." Within this space, one is free to explore ideas and experiment with their chosen materials: paint, stone, words or thoughts. Upon entering this space, the context of their thoughts and actions shifts from the ordinary world to a world where they are free from outside distractions and the work becomes the central focus.

This environment can be a physical space, as in an artist's studio, or a mental space, such as a frame of mind dedicated to thought experiments or poetry. This space can be thought of, or delimited, in many ways. In a given painting, for example, the artist's temenos is the blank canvas---a pristine, white surface upon which to play out ideas in form and content. In this series I have interpreted the theme in a variety of ways through diverse subject matter. The subjects include musicians, poets, painters, sculptors, weavers, even the philosopher in his/her world of thought. I have not included the images of the paintings that ultimately did not succeed; indeed, some of the canvases are no longer extant, having been painted over or cut up for collages.

This is a series which I plan to return to every so often. For me the studio is indeed a magical place, a haven from the world, a place to retreat to create art and ponder life's mysteries. As I look around my studio many ideas occur to me. Many interesting "found" still life subjects await.

References I have used for this series include:

Free Play, Nachmanovitch.

Imagination's Chambers, Bellony-Rewald, Peppiatt.

The Artist in His Studio, Liberman.

Braque, Pong, Descargues, Malraux

Jasper Johns, Crichton.