INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS SEDGWICK
The Holy Choir. Gold leaf on birch; 152.4 x 106.7 cm (60″ x 42″).
S&A: Chris, glad to have the chance to speak with you. The rich symbolic imagery within your work makes us feel, to borrow a phrase from James Elkins, “the essential tension between substance and sign.” To begin, could you tell us about the significance of gestures within your paintings?
CS: The gestures in my work relate to an inner feeling that is meant to bring about an outside change in the viewer and myself as well during its creation; as one would in a magical ritual. Ritual has meaning and part of its meaning is to communicate an inner thought or magical feeling that is being brought to life. Granted, these gestures are not the conventional movements of any magical ritual practices —Thelema, Wicca, Christian Rosicrucianism, Ásatrú, etc.; they are a personal set of movements that strike me emotionally and physically in each particular piece. They communicate the meaning behind the work often on a personal level.
S&A: You mention being inspired by Western esoteric traditions. What do you feel is the connection between artistic creativity and concepts of a “spiritual world”?
CS: Well, I think that from the beginning of time the artist has always been attempting to move between the material world and the spiritual world, take for example the images at the French Chauvet Cave. I believe that without visual artistic creativity there would be no spiritual world for humans to travel to. Not to say that the artistic world precedes the spiritual- to me, the spiritual world has been in existence since the beginning of time, it is art that has allowed us to tap into it and begin to access it. Ritual in itself is really the egg that hatched from artistic depiction. When one looks at Chauvet Cave there are bear skulls and drawings at the beginning that are obviously suggesting a supernatural connection, a shamanic origin. The real depictions of spirit come before that (30,000 years ago) and are being crystallized. We also have cave art in the great caves in the United States though these are not as old as Chauvet. We do have the Ohio serpent mound and many anomalies that are yet to be explained. The main point is that before written language there was a connection to a source, perceived or real, and during those times the lines were blurred. They did not require written language- they required the depiction of form: ART
I think the written language is not enough to create a sense of wonder in the hearts of humans to cause them to bypass the line between the two worlds — a culture must have to retain a visual language as well; and it must continually develop, just as our written or oral language does. We began worshipping physical idols: carved, tangible forms and nature itself. While I know that was attempted to be eradicated by the some of the monotheistic religions, all monotheistic religions still have physical idols and symbols that they worship or carry to represent their god and the line between the worlds.
Human traditions have been a blurring and mixing of culture; but one thing I find constant is the presence of an esoteric spiritual world and an exoteric mundane world — a lot of times the symbols of these different cultures are interchangeable and this is the connection between the “spiritual world”.
As for my envelopment in the Western esoteric traditions, I find that they work well but often rely on the Abrahamic religions and therefore bypass nature as a god in itself — and man falls under that category. I know that there are many Western esoteric traditions that would consider man able to behold god and be a part of him but never a god unto himself; and, while the goal of many of the esoteric traditions is to “see” and prepare oneself for the unseen planes of existence, there is a basic connection lost to the mundane world around us that is magical in itself. Poets would probably disagree but that is another matter.
CS: The gestures in my work relate to an inner feeling that is meant to bring about an outside change in the viewer and myself as well during its creation; as one would in a magical ritual. Ritual has meaning and part of its meaning is to communicate an inner thought or magical feeling that is being brought to life. Granted, these gestures are not the conventional movements of any magical ritual practices —Thelema, Wicca, Christian Rosicrucianism, Ásatrú, etc.; they are a personal set of movements that strike me emotionally and physically in each particular piece. They communicate the meaning behind the work often on a personal level.
S&A: You mention being inspired by Western esoteric traditions. What do you feel is the connection between artistic creativity and concepts of a “spiritual world”?
CS: Well, I think that from the beginning of time the artist has always been attempting to move between the material world and the spiritual world, take for example the images at the French Chauvet Cave. I believe that without visual artistic creativity there would be no spiritual world for humans to travel to. Not to say that the artistic world precedes the spiritual- to me, the spiritual world has been in existence since the beginning of time, it is art that has allowed us to tap into it and begin to access it. Ritual in itself is really the egg that hatched from artistic depiction. When one looks at Chauvet Cave there are bear skulls and drawings at the beginning that are obviously suggesting a supernatural connection, a shamanic origin. The real depictions of spirit come before that (30,000 years ago) and are being crystallized. We also have cave art in the great caves in the United States though these are not as old as Chauvet. We do have the Ohio serpent mound and many anomalies that are yet to be explained. The main point is that before written language there was a connection to a source, perceived or real, and during those times the lines were blurred. They did not require written language- they required the depiction of form: ART
I think the written language is not enough to create a sense of wonder in the hearts of humans to cause them to bypass the line between the two worlds — a culture must have to retain a visual language as well; and it must continually develop, just as our written or oral language does. We began worshipping physical idols: carved, tangible forms and nature itself. While I know that was attempted to be eradicated by the some of the monotheistic religions, all monotheistic religions still have physical idols and symbols that they worship or carry to represent their god and the line between the worlds.
Human traditions have been a blurring and mixing of culture; but one thing I find constant is the presence of an esoteric spiritual world and an exoteric mundane world — a lot of times the symbols of these different cultures are interchangeable and this is the connection between the “spiritual world”.
As for my envelopment in the Western esoteric traditions, I find that they work well but often rely on the Abrahamic religions and therefore bypass nature as a god in itself — and man falls under that category. I know that there are many Western esoteric traditions that would consider man able to behold god and be a part of him but never a god unto himself; and, while the goal of many of the esoteric traditions is to “see” and prepare oneself for the unseen planes of existence, there is a basic connection lost to the mundane world around us that is magical in itself. Poets would probably disagree but that is another matter.
S&A: Joseph Campbell is named as being an influence upon your work. Do your narrative works contain elements of the Hero’s Journey as described by Campbell? If so, how is it expressed in your interpretation?
CS: I love Joseph Campbell for his relentless scholarship into the religions of the world. The Hero’s Journey is one of many formulas used by mythos that he has identified and while I don't use it verbatim in my work I reference it from time to time. For instance, I recently did a large scale work about an event in my life, entitled The Holy Choir. I consider this to be using the mythos of the Hero’s Journey; showing the male subject at his lowest point; the female at her highest, and the child at his understandably confused lowest.
CS: I love Joseph Campbell for his relentless scholarship into the religions of the world. The Hero’s Journey is one of many formulas used by mythos that he has identified and while I don't use it verbatim in my work I reference it from time to time. For instance, I recently did a large scale work about an event in my life, entitled The Holy Choir. I consider this to be using the mythos of the Hero’s Journey; showing the male subject at his lowest point; the female at her highest, and the child at his understandably confused lowest.
Detail from The Holy Choir by Chris Sedgwick.
S&A: In The Three Muses and The Nature of the Self, the inclusion of cyphers in the paintings allows the viewer to become a participant in the scene and, in a sense, through the decoding of the cypher to activate the painting on another level. What inspired you to include cyphers into your work?
CS: That is a really good question. I include color cyphers in many of my paintings because this adds a layer of what I just went through saying was not enough to create a sense of wonder in the hearts of man. But I love the written word as well and utilize it when explaining complex spiritual diagrams or simple sayings. The saying above The Three Fates is what I try to live my life by: “So that the beginning is to the end as the end is to the beginning, and that to the distance between there is neither.” Though the image is more powerful to me, by adding the two together I hope to make a piece that can be experienced on many levels. I hope that people spend enough time decoding the works; however, I try to make the visual depictions enjoyable enough to appreciate the piece without the time spent to learn and decode the cyphers.
I was inspired to include cyphers into my paintings when I wanted to say something so loudly with words but realized that it would distract from the painting. So I translated the letters into colors. After that, I started doing a lot of research into the Voynich manuscript. This just pushed me further into learning about the World War II codebreakers, the Caesar codes, and many other forms of cyphers. In a way, I see cyphers as a mirror to what I hope to create in my paintings — a way to communicate with a spiritual world in mundane language. They are just a transfer of ideas that is jumbled to the noninitiated into their language, a place I think we often find ourselves personally- we often don't know how to decode our own emotions and the world around us. I add the cyphers as a way to make people see that a painting can say something in words but mean something in visual language in a more powerful way- this is why the cyphers and codes are often small or hidden.
CS: That is a really good question. I include color cyphers in many of my paintings because this adds a layer of what I just went through saying was not enough to create a sense of wonder in the hearts of man. But I love the written word as well and utilize it when explaining complex spiritual diagrams or simple sayings. The saying above The Three Fates is what I try to live my life by: “So that the beginning is to the end as the end is to the beginning, and that to the distance between there is neither.” Though the image is more powerful to me, by adding the two together I hope to make a piece that can be experienced on many levels. I hope that people spend enough time decoding the works; however, I try to make the visual depictions enjoyable enough to appreciate the piece without the time spent to learn and decode the cyphers.
I was inspired to include cyphers into my paintings when I wanted to say something so loudly with words but realized that it would distract from the painting. So I translated the letters into colors. After that, I started doing a lot of research into the Voynich manuscript. This just pushed me further into learning about the World War II codebreakers, the Caesar codes, and many other forms of cyphers. In a way, I see cyphers as a mirror to what I hope to create in my paintings — a way to communicate with a spiritual world in mundane language. They are just a transfer of ideas that is jumbled to the noninitiated into their language, a place I think we often find ourselves personally- we often don't know how to decode our own emotions and the world around us. I add the cyphers as a way to make people see that a painting can say something in words but mean something in visual language in a more powerful way- this is why the cyphers and codes are often small or hidden.
The Three Fates. Gold leaf on birch; 76.2 x 121.9 cm (30″ x 48″ ).
Detail of a color cypher from The Three Fates by Chris Sedgwick.
S&A: How has the experience of fatherhood changed you as an artist?
CS: The experience of fatherhood changes one in many ways, it is hard to quantify how it changed me in my art creating but it definitely provided me with more drive and realization of the perils of failure. Fatherhood has brought a new symbolic character to my paintings which I did not expect:
I see my work in three symbolic forms. Depiction of events occurring; sometimes a painting is just a symbol for what is a copy of nature and an event. I then see some work as a symbol for a complex esoteric diagram of which I try my best to explain in my own words, yet adhere to the teachings of that particular religion or spiritual framework. The Nature of Self being one of these works I had hoped to create using this format. The third and most difficult symbolic painting I aspire to is the symbology of the personal — to take events in one’s life and turn them into complex symbols utilizing the prior two examples of symbolism. This is, to me, the most powerful mode I work in. The Holy Choir is the latest painting that I have attempted to create in this vein. But this last form is becoming more influential to me, The Last Magician deals with this form of symbolism as well.
S&A: Would you be willing to tell us about the latest activities in your art career?
CS: I just took down my show at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Museum and now I am preparing for an opening at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Asheville on March 25th and 26th. Earlier last year I had a show in Taos but beyond Asheville this year I have no set plans. I consider myself very fortunate to have a great patron who will support my work, whether a show is occurring or not. Beyond shows, I have been working on commissions that deal with Greek goddesses — right now I am working on a 5 ft. x 9 ft. commission for the entranceway to the new Grand Bohemian Hotel.
I am becoming split between the world of painting only on gold leaf “constellation forms” or the spiritual world of the gold leaf, and that of painting figures in realistic landscapes — these usually represent the different symbolic worlds to me. I have also been moving beyond gold leaf backgrounds and using what I call “constellation forms” to accompany the gold leaf world — I see this as another plane in which to explore — The Bridge is an example of this departure. I utilized glow in the dark paint in many new pieces and some would say that I have almost delved into a Post Modernist depiction in The Bridge ; I do not see it this way. I see layers of symbology and experience each being different and needing a different form of visual depiction while adhering to the depiction of the figure and nature.
I see the Christian monks patiently copying sacred texts, the Alchemists in their workshops, the Muslim scribes translating and creating mystical teachings, and the Germanic pagans creating a physical world of worship — I see all these teachings and I see the personal in their reflection — the drive to create one’s own spirituality is, above all, my goal. I just want to keep moving forward when I can and respect past canons of creation of form when given the chance.
Visit The Artwork of Chris Sedgwick to see more.
CS: The experience of fatherhood changes one in many ways, it is hard to quantify how it changed me in my art creating but it definitely provided me with more drive and realization of the perils of failure. Fatherhood has brought a new symbolic character to my paintings which I did not expect:
I see my work in three symbolic forms. Depiction of events occurring; sometimes a painting is just a symbol for what is a copy of nature and an event. I then see some work as a symbol for a complex esoteric diagram of which I try my best to explain in my own words, yet adhere to the teachings of that particular religion or spiritual framework. The Nature of Self being one of these works I had hoped to create using this format. The third and most difficult symbolic painting I aspire to is the symbology of the personal — to take events in one’s life and turn them into complex symbols utilizing the prior two examples of symbolism. This is, to me, the most powerful mode I work in. The Holy Choir is the latest painting that I have attempted to create in this vein. But this last form is becoming more influential to me, The Last Magician deals with this form of symbolism as well.
S&A: Would you be willing to tell us about the latest activities in your art career?
CS: I just took down my show at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Museum and now I am preparing for an opening at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Asheville on March 25th and 26th. Earlier last year I had a show in Taos but beyond Asheville this year I have no set plans. I consider myself very fortunate to have a great patron who will support my work, whether a show is occurring or not. Beyond shows, I have been working on commissions that deal with Greek goddesses — right now I am working on a 5 ft. x 9 ft. commission for the entranceway to the new Grand Bohemian Hotel.
I am becoming split between the world of painting only on gold leaf “constellation forms” or the spiritual world of the gold leaf, and that of painting figures in realistic landscapes — these usually represent the different symbolic worlds to me. I have also been moving beyond gold leaf backgrounds and using what I call “constellation forms” to accompany the gold leaf world — I see this as another plane in which to explore — The Bridge is an example of this departure. I utilized glow in the dark paint in many new pieces and some would say that I have almost delved into a Post Modernist depiction in The Bridge ; I do not see it this way. I see layers of symbology and experience each being different and needing a different form of visual depiction while adhering to the depiction of the figure and nature.
I see the Christian monks patiently copying sacred texts, the Alchemists in their workshops, the Muslim scribes translating and creating mystical teachings, and the Germanic pagans creating a physical world of worship — I see all these teachings and I see the personal in their reflection — the drive to create one’s own spirituality is, above all, my goal. I just want to keep moving forward when I can and respect past canons of creation of form when given the chance.
Visit The Artwork of Chris Sedgwick to see more.