Michael Barringer

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

Through the unknown, remembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. (Little Gidding, Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot)

Our memories, our current sensations, and our anticipated experiences–these all interact to form our sense of self. Yet, transcending these moments in time, we sometimes experience a timeless condition based on unity. This intersection of the timeless in time is Incarnation. As Eliot says, it is “The hint half guessed, the gift half understood.”

I believe in this state of grace. As a maker, I strive to have my work reference this intellectual and emotional position. The work is a residue which results from this act of searching.

Saturated, luminous color represents the timeless. This is a place filled with ever shifting shapes. Spirit and potential are here. Faded, fragile color represents the flow of time. This is a place filled with concrete forms. Remnants and echoes populate this space.

I layer the markings, so the geometric templates exist with organic, freely drawn charcoal lines and acrylic tattoos. An iconic presence exists as flattened, decorative patterns speak of ancient ornamentation, ritual, and spiritual meditation.

Resembling frescoes, the surface appears time worn, with delicate, faded pigment, and subtle markings and forms. These all suggest ethereal memories, past histories, and a life lived.

Punctuating this condition is the vivid portal or window. This represents that moment of heightened emotional focus which we all experience on occasion, that moment of revelation, that moment at the Still Point.

 

WORKS:

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