Thread: A. Andrew Gonzales - Lucid Dreaming Artist

I came across an artist yesterday, who´s paintings instantly captivated me - A. Andrew Gonzales.
Interestingly - he states that lucid dreaming was one of his chief inspirations for his sublime and ethereal masterpieces.


I´ve been posting three of his works already in miscellaneous pictures - one day I will - probably - learn to avoid such.
But as a matter of fact - I had found them without context and didn´t really expect him to actually be a lucid dreamer - also a "psychonaut" in the realm of entheogenes.

This man is surely worth a bit more deeper portraying on here.

The artist describes his style as "a revival of the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic" and "mystical love poems to the soul". His focus is on the figure as both temple and vessel, sublimed by transformative forces. He captures his subjects suspended in an ecstatic moment; poised on the threshold of a new birth.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Raised in an artistic family, the tools for creative expression were a familiar part of my world. As a child, drawing gave me playful access to the exciting contents of fantasy and imagination. This playful communion with fantasy would later mature into the creative exploration of the patterns of my soul, and the celebration of the forces of life.

My childhood preoccupation with dreams and imaginal worlds would soon lead me to the masters of imaginative painting. But it wasn't mere "fantasy" art that would call to me, but an art with a particular revelatory power. I longed for an art that would contemplate the jewel of wisdom hidden within and reveal the glory and mystery of being, an art sublimed with grace and beauty, subtle, yet profoundly ecstatic and mythically bold in its declaration. ..

My early interest in all things arcane and mystical arose from my sensitivity for synchronistic experiences and profound vivid dreams, which in turn lead me to question our common perceptions of reality, imagination and being. I found myself drawn to various esoteric subjects ranging from comparative religion and mythology to Jungian psychology, alchemical and tantric symbolism, exotic physics and the frontiers of consciousness and dream research.

But it was these unique dream experiences that would awaken an undeniable call to devote myself to the development of a numinous artistic vision. A new beginning in my creative journey arose after a series of peak dream experiences that culminated at the age of nineteen. These "supernatural events of the soul" comprised of out-of-body experiences and lucid "waking" dreams, some of which involved brief encounters with mysterious adepts or messengers. On three occasions during my lucid dream practice I awoke enveloped in a fiercely radiant golden light, moving rapidly towards its blazing white center. Upon opening my eyes, I felt what could only be described as a sense of being reborn. Everything around me looked new, and I felt this wonderful sense of peace and clarity that would last for months. Whether real or illusory, these experiences inspired in me an acute sense of the astonishing miraculousness of everything.

To this day I feel that somehow these experiences may have caused an acceleration in the progress of my artwork. Perhaps this leap in my artistic ability was the result of my newfound focus and devotion, but what was unfolding was an imagery that would be the basis of my work today. Many years later, it would be the entheogenic experience that would recharge my inspired reverence for the ecstatic visionary possibilities of the imagination.

Concerning the techniques he uses - the pictures are all acrylic on solid:

The art of painting is usually an additive process, in which layer after layer builds an image. Gonzalez turns this on its head using a subtractive process developed through years of trial and error. His technique involves a gesso-like surface, transparent paints and, most surprisingly, an array of erasers. ..
I began to master the airbrush which allowed me to create a sculptural photographic look with incredible subtlety. It also allowed me to refine values and design with an almost unconscious immediacy that balanced well with my controlled conscious intent. My approach to the creative process is always a fine balance between order and chaos.

It is almost painful to select parts of this text and leave the rest out - but I don´t know, if it would be okay to take just everything - so - for more of his - well - more of him - click the link at the very bottom of this page.

Okay - here a selection of the pictures of his, I like best:



"The Oracle of the Pearl"



"Magia of the Heart"





"The Birth of the Underground Sun" - "The Love of Souls"



"Uli Rising"



"Fravashi"



"The Creatrix"



"The Virgin Queen"


Enjoy!
Source - his website: Galerie Sublimato