HOW MAKING FIVE PAINTINGS A DAY SAVED MY SANITY

I was always a thinker and a tinkerer my mother used to call me the mechanic, age five, to compensate for my insatiable energy I was given some paper and crayons... as time went by drawing became a daily habit for troubled times, making art became my therapy, allowing me not to dwell on the issue but concentrate on the paintings. A sort of mindfulness before it became fashionable.

Growing up other precedents took over, academia and time, paintings were for the moment put on hold as I worked to feed my family.

Now that I am in seventies I still work but vary my load by not working in the afternoon, it gives me a good seven hours per day to paint… its of no interest to me if it’s technically good, it’s merely a deep seated need to express my emotions.

I try to work as fast as I can, since the reason for making paintings is not for selling but for making, its of no interest to me if it’s technically good or on the best paper or that the oils may be inferior, or if it’s mixed media or collage.

However as with most contradictions, when you don't need money is when you get that loan, so (ironically) my paintings have recently started to sell, where as previously I tended to give them away.

Over the last few years I've been researching unusual human psychological issues such as prosopagnosia, hikikomori which interest me greatly as we are starting to see more and more of these conditions coming to the fore, especially here in Hong Kong since the troubles as its euphemistically called.

Unfortunately it’s also started to impinge on my own stability, I started to dwell and overthink issues… I wrote my own programme and started painting 5 paintings a day for the last two years.

I was fortunate to live both in Paris (Sorbonne and in Amsterdam (Excerpta Medica which became Elsevier) in the 70’s where I served my dues, always felt that I would go back to painting.

Psychotherapy has taught me a great deal about human behaviour, after 25 year old seeing a multitude of people and personalities, the impingement because an issue.

I decided to go back to what I love and to express myself to find peace, for peace is what we seek, often confused with happiness, what do they say “when you stop looking for happiness, you find peace”

What painting and drawing teaches you is to see what is not said, expressions vary the eyes see which the brain translates.

Of course after so many years and a multitude of cases my subconscious tends triggers a person that I may have worked with ten twenty years ago…

Here are my little portraits, see if you respond to them, how they make you feel and if you want to write me a note and I will send you the story behind the images...

If it’s of further interest look for my book “the glass facade”.

How we translate fear into reason

What sets us apart for other animals is that we have ability to reason, as a tool for survival its paramount, however with the onset of the world-wide web and the abundance of material choice (we have never been better off), this paradox of abundant choice has caused anxiety on an unprecedented scale.

Anxiety from which fear is  manifested is often mistranslated, simply because fear is a reaction to a thought which is the cause of the anxiety. How its perceived and translated is the issue.

Over 40 million Americans (no idea worldwide) now suffer from anxiety disorder and its fair to say that it’s the most abundant and wealthiest county on earth the paradox is the option of choices and the pressure to conform.

Fashion and advertising are the main culprits, convincing insecure people into buying a handbag for an investment or trainers that are made in a sweatshop in Asia will make you a more complete person is just silly, as are buying torn jeans.

Fear of rejection is one of the most difficult emotions to cope with, hence the need to belong to the tribe, ironic since many assume their fashion style to be unique and what is easier than belonging? By simply buying what others look good in with the help of a celebrity or sportsman or two.

Buying status is like two bald men fighting over a comb, not only is it irrational it’s also futile since fashion or style goes out as quickly as it comes in.

A tattoo or body adornments are interesting which is actually a way to show loyalty to a tribe, ironic if you think that few people really know the reasons or origins for their tattoos or adornments… is it reasonable ask why people need to deface what is already perfect without assuming low self esteem may be a part of the problem?

So what would happen when we no longer need to search for happiness but simply accept that life is good enough, and that status can be bought but is an artificial commodity invented to make others wealthy.

In this abundant world where we have everything at hand immediately we still search for more, because we believe that more is better…. perhaps its time to rethink the equation and take an example from of our grandparents who had few material things but led a so much more fulfilled life.

Ironically in this day and age of abundance, more people are searching for fulfilment that ever before, perhaps time to accept that we already have more than we need.

The threat from the unknown

Anxiety is a natural condition , its there to protect us from perceived evils , the commonly called fight or flee syndrome.
However the rustle in the bushes is very often received with alarm even if its isn’t a tiger to eat us but simply the wind  , unfortunately its better to be safe than sorry so we over react almost always as if its the tiger that is about to eat us.
The reptilian part of the brain can only react to the flight syndrome because its conditioned so do , learning to overcome this phenomena is very difficult .
I have spend many hours researching  the level of anxiety that people manifest .

Unfortunately although we can measure , distance and even time ….emotions are harder.
We  have  to create therefor an artificial  measurement called that SUD (subjective unit of distress ) basing it on one to ten….anxiety ast the highest level is ten.
My painting here is about the extent of  a level of anxiety at its highest , which is left untreated can cause underlying and ongoing problems.

Hypertension leading to stroke

There  is a common condition called Bells Palsy  in which muscles  of the  face get paralysed on one side …this is a common condition that occur mostly in stroke patients.
I have met and worked with people with this condition , many of whom recovered through medication , time and therapy.
My interest has always been to depict the emotional responses that people with this condition has ……I have attempted here so to do.

Spiritual awareness

Some years ago I met with a lady who had, she told me had become spiritually aware which caused her to appear translucent or transparent. She accepted this as factual which is why I find the case so interesting.

There is a common phenomena with people who experience trauma, often when they find it difficult to cope with as in the death of a baby stillborn or the person was victim of some sort.

In order to appease the anxiety there is often a story is associated with it in order to explain the guilt….. in this case she saw herself as translucent as a consequence of a traumatic event. She became better after therapy but it was essentially time that resolved her problem.

This is a small painting I made some years after the event which I found in my case study files.

Workshop: A psychotherapuetic way to calm the brain from anxiety by using art as therapy by Lee du Ploy

Lee du Ploy will be holding a new workshop next week entitled, A psychotherapuetic way to calm the brain from anxiety by using art as therapy, on Friday, October 13, 2017, 7pm – 8pm.

Topics covered

Everything we see has to be translated via the Brian to form an evaluation …we translate from the visual. As with my previous talks on anxiety I am now incorporating into “the seven step programme” that you are already familiar with , another angle or tool , …that is the power to see. The power to see is not the power to look. (The subconscious has no boundaries). We will use real paintings from which to form an evaluation , as with the famous Rorchach test you will be amazed what you subconscious reveals about your emotional state.

Here is a small example , look for colour , form and shape , , see what this abstract painting tells you …is it fear,are you anxious , does it make you happy , are there colours in there that define you mood….perhaps some shapes are disturbing., can you define why?

For more information and to joint the event, head over to Hong Kong Coaching Outreach.

Teaching Picasso to swim

Mr Wu and I share a passion for drawings… we meet occasionally at an exhibition where we beg to differ about the the technical skill of the painters on show.

Personally I like Auerbach and Kentridge which shows my age… however Mr Wu or Edweerd as he is universally known like the more colorful pieces like Zao Wou-Ki and even Buffet which is really not my thing….. but as we were both at the exhibition and already with a glass of wine in hand its fortuitous not to get to complicated by arguing about art as we are both mediocre painters…… trying hard to get better.

However (and we both agree) that art nowadays has little to do with skill and that money or investment as it pretends to be, is the catalyst.

“People will buy any shit”. as Mr Wu is fond of saying.

I tried once to remind him of Manzotti who sold his shit in a can but we had by this stage already too much to drink for it to make sense.

From what I remember we then started 

arguing about Jeff Koons and the vacuum cleaner conundrum.

They were winding down and the exhibition was closing, Mr Wu had his third glass of wine, not yet belligerent but getting there.

One of the stragglers had an auction magazine under his arm, which had on the cover a small Picasso drawing…… Mr Wu perused this over his glasses….. “great artists, of course but you know the he couldn’t swim.”

Thats weird Eddy for you.