Featured Drawing: "The Pulsating Ripples of Cosmic Grey Matter" from my Mind Collection

"Pulsating Ripples of Cosmic Grey Matter." Pencil on board. 

Dear collectors, buyers, visitors, and friends,

Every once in a while I will give my own unique perspective into the creation, ideas, and flow that went on before and during the creation of a selected drawing from my collections. While all of my creations are open to a wide variety of interpretations, I also like to share what was going on in my mind and the overall process from start to finish. With that in mind, the drawing I chose to discuss today is my work entitled, "The Pulsating Ripples of Cosmic Grey Matter" from my mind collection. I hope you enjoy this feature and my comments and analysis of what went on during the creation of this work of art.

Today i want to discuss a work which focuses on the surreal and scientific relationship between the mysterious landscape of the mind and the infinite dynamic of the universe. In this particular creation, my whole intention was to showcase the unison between the mind and the universe and how the power of the mind within the subconscious, conscious, and unconscious realms somehow relate to the overall forces within the cosmic universe. To visually reflect this fusion between the two, i decided on actually creating a galactic world that shows the intense structural growth and expansion of this galaxy that is formed by brains themselves. These galaxies, as seen in the drawing, begin to expand and grow as rubber band like strings ripple outward and begin the formation of many clusters of stars and worlds. I wanted the brains to act as the foundations for the creation of each galaxy. Within these brains, large round spheres begin to form the star clusters that will act as the center of these worlds. The entire message within the composition needs to flow and harmonize with the use of color, form, shape, and the breakdown and rebuilding of the three into an explosive creation and imaginary world.

As the work progressed, i saw opportunities to use the strong like band that symbolizes the expansive nature of the universe and the flexibility of the dark matter that is invisiible to the naked eye. If you look closely, the band stretches from the left of the work and begins to spiral into one galaxy forming and then proceeds to the next galaxy and so on. This band acts as a binding agent that balances the compositional space and structure of the forms and shapes. As brains begin to form worlds, split into molecular matter, and grow from various areas within this cosmic world from stems, the entire work is fused together by the use of color, light, and the precise placement and breakdown of many of these organic forms. The effect i wanted to achieve was an explosive and intense impact like this world is actually pulsating and growing before our very eyes amidst the magical colors and lighting that adds to the overall atmosphere. Like the majesty of the mysterious landscape of the mind and its hidden power we have yet to unlock, the distant creation of new galaxies and worlds also has an imperial and magical awe inspiring beauty and power to this creation. I wanted this work to invade the senses in such a way as to both make the viewer spellbound by the beauty and perplexed by the complex dynamic of this world as it forms before their eyes. I hope i have achieved what i set out to do and i realize some viewers may have a certain sensory reaction to it that is different than someone elses. I also want a cerebral quality to my drawings that make the viewer think about life and the universe and take a second look around them. I feel this gives the viewer a multi-dimensional experience where emotion, intellect, and their own intuition can play a part in deciphering the many hidden and visible structures and vibrancy of the colors.

I hope you enjoyed my comments regarding this piece and if you want to add any questions to this article please send an email to me at artistjenkins@gmail.com and i will respond to any further questions you may have about this work or the process of creation. If you would like more about my style and approach visit the other pages of this blog. I want to personally thank you for reading my blog and i hope you find it interesting and informative.

Regards,
Justin

My book, "Visionary Landscapes," featuring Drawings from the Genesis Collection.

Dear Collectors, friends, and first time visitors,

If you're already aware, Visionary Landscapes, the long awaited coffee table style book featuring thirty-one hand selected master drawings from my Genesis Collection, has been published for quite sometime. We are proud to offer the world this 160 page full color published book through the independent publishing source, Lulu. Our vision for this exclusive volume edition was to have a high end collector style book that features many drawings from my chess, anatomy, mind, spiritual, and abstract collections. We decided on a 7.5"X7.5" format that is suitable for many table styles including most coffee table settings. We have published this through my publishing division at Imaginative Pencil called Imaginative Pencil Publishing. You can visit the storefront for our publishing division at Imaginative Pencil Publishing

Visionary Landscapes fuses the insights, critiques, and reviews from various artists, critics, and scholars from all over the world with the intimate perspectives of each work by myself. We collected numerous sources from around the world with regard to my style and approach and organized the book in such a way as to portray each drawing from various perspectives. The goal of this exclusive edition is to give hidden insights that would otherwise go unnoticed by many viewers and create a collection of reviews and critiques by selected artists and scholars with a large portion of the deeper understanding coming from myself. I want each reader to explore this large selection of drawings that span many of my collections and to become more aware of what I am trying to achieve both in meaning and message. My hope is that readers will be rewarded with not only the secrets of how I came to certain conclusions and how I achieved them and why, but essentially the core meaning of each work will be revealed in the simplest terms by showing each drawing as a separate analysis within the overall meaning of the book. The intimacy of the book centers on my deep critiques and viewpoints of each drawing featured which gives the reader access to me on a more personal level like I am in front of them explaining each work.

Book Preface

This first volume will approach the latest drawings from the studio of award-winning artist Justin Jenkins with a fresh and insightful point of view. With the help of the artist, we have compiled a small volume that will contain thirty of his most recent drawings taken from five unique collections. The artist will give us his insight into each work of art and the hidden meanings behind the symbolism's and objectivity that lie beneath the color and forms.

This book attempts to give viewers, collectors, scholars, and historians an ambitious and fresh examination into the mind, soul, and overall vision of the artist. We have collected various critics, essays, and feedback from numerous people about the approach and style of artist Justin Jenkins and organized it in the pages ahead along with a gallery of works. We hope this book will give each reader a broader understanding of what the artist is trying to accomplish within the bold shapes, twisting forms, and surreal settings. We also want to shed light on the message his work tries to convey to the world.

Now that you have a basic understanding of what this book will attempt to accomplish, let’s begin our journey and exploration into the surreal, visionary, and inventive world that lies deep in the corridors of the artist’s mind with the hope of finding the truth and inspiration behind his style.

Imaginative Pencil Publishing came to Lulu because the company wanted to be in control of the publishing process and found Lulu’s print-on-demand tools to be fast, easy and, most importantly, free. Visionary Landscapes is available for purchase at Lulu, in a marketplace filled with other unique and wonderful surprises. Independent publishing and print-on-demand is the wave of the future, and the future is now. The Lulu process allows me to cut out the middle man (i.e. a separate publisher) and get my work out there the way I want it. My book, Visionary Landscapes, is much like Lulu itself  - it puts control of my destiny in my own hands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Imaginative Pencil is a company I founded in 2004 that specializes in the sale, distribution, and exhibition of my surreal pencil art.

Justin Michael Jenkins was born in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. to George and Carole Jenkins. Besides his professional status as a full time artist, he is also a writer, designer, and webmaster. His hobbies include studying the game of chess and collecting Civil War memorabilia.

ABOUT LULU

Founded in 2002, Lulu is the world’s fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace for digital do-it-yourselfers. Please see www.lulu.com for more information.
For more information about selling this book in stores or to order a copy for yourself, please visit our book website at Lulu or contact Michael Retla at publishing @imaginativepencil.com or call 1-304-376-0762.

Why color is important to my style of work.

Detail from my pencil work
"The Orchestration of Metaphysical Motion"

Color has always been a natural part of my creations. Like the blood that flows through my veins, color is my way of showing the vibrancy of the spirit and the magical dance of the universe. I see color as not only the underlying spirit of our existence, but the passion and rhythm of the forces of nature that we all respond too.

When I sit down to create a work of art, the structure of the composition becomes a critical component of my analysis of the subject i'm creating. As the work progresses, color becomes a unified part of this creation and symbolizes the grand beauty of life in all its majesty and divine inspiration. For me, color can be a dance across the shapes and forms like the musical tones of a song. It unifies everything and creates a harmonic exploration that is balanced between the communication of shapes and forms. It becomes a separate level of magic and movement as I begin to weave it into the work. Representing objects at face value is not enough, the color needs to transform and become its own agent of change in order for the piece to vibrate on that subtle flow of space. My exploration into the effects of colors together also play a vital role in communicating a response with the viewer in relation to the objective reality of the forms. Certain colors provide a psychological and emotional feeling that accentuates the work into a new level of divine intervention. I want the piece to not only make one think, but to feel the passion and spirit of the overall idea and subject. I want the work to elevate itself beyond reality and color provides a way of transcending the obvious into another world of magical and intuitive inspiration.

A world of magical beauty and imagination is the ultimate goal with my works. I find my soul and spirit naturally gravitate to color for the pure majesty of it. My heart, soul, and spirit flows through the various colors as I feel the beauty grow and manifest throughout the work as my mind remains the filter through which the application becomes analyzed and applied with harmony and flow through a unified dance. I want the color to be balanced as the motion becomes fluid like a group dance where everyone is playing their part and the whole becomes the power of the entire structure. I will continue to embrace color, analyze it, and experiment with it using both my mind and spirit in a fusion of logic and intuition. It feeds my soul, inspires my spirit, and tickles my mind.

My Creative Process: The Harmony of Mind, Spirit, Soul, and Heart.

When i'm approaching the beginning of the day to start a new work, the wheels in my mind are already churning out possible solutions to the underlying theme i have already chosen as the subject. I am collectively pondering ideas to begin my work with and from where branches of other ideas will manifest and flow from that initial seed. These seeds are what usually become small ideas like a facial expression in the middle or an object (symbolism) that relates to the surreal vision I have however unclear it may be at the time. These ideas normally start forming days before the studio work day starts. M y inspiration for each work comes from my interest and passion for each subject. I choose subject matter that speaks to me and my heart and one that I have knowledge about.

I have always equated this process to that of a scientist who is collectively beginning to experiment and pondering tests and ideas that will ultimately end up with a solution and end result to the creative question at hand. My process is very formulated and consistent and rarely changes for each work. I sharpen all my pencils to a razor thin point then once the pencil hits the paper the fusion of senses and powers begin to unravel and lock me into the process. This focus is something I can only explain as a zen experience where my mind, spirit, heart, and soul all work in harmony to slowly build on the planted seed. As the work progresses, ideas will filter inward through my mind, and the feeling through my soul as my spirit channels the energy into a collective power that attempts to transcend the ideas and actual application on paper to something more. It is a very enthralling experience when things are clicking and when they are not exactly working perfectly, the struggles can be great, but working through them only leads to the creative light at the end of a dark unclear tunnel of doubt and frustration. I enjoy this perhaps the most about creating art as the challenges have always left me understanding that every obstacle has a solution. I have grown to welcome it and embrace this as the required process to reach the final vision on the paper from the beginning seed of life. As the seed sprouts and ideas flow, I can imagine a tree growing and eventually the leaves blossom and the collective beauty of the tree is finalized through a natural process.

For those of you out there who are creative souls that lead your own personal journeys with your own unique methods of navigation, the process of creating is our most valuable treasure and drives us further on our voyage into the unknown. We should never take this for granted as it not only feeds our inspirations, but it challenges us in unique ways that strengthen our resolve to find solutions to challenging creative problems. In the end, the process all balances out and leaves our final vision the end result of the struggles and inspiration that made it possible.