Between Silence and Substance: The Generative and Transformative Power of Pictopoiesis

    Between Silence and Substance: The Generative and Transformative Power of Pictopoiesis A deeply rooted cycle of regeneration and transformation threads through my work, progressing over four decades. Central to this ongoing evolution are pictopoiesis, semiosis, and symbiosis – three guiding forces. Pictopoiesis is the art of painting as if it were the cultivation […]

The Symbiotic Evolution of Art: Cultivating a Living Painting

A painting in progress involves a continuous cycle of conscious removal and return, as I work on it and then step back to reflect on it. This dynamic, a bodily experience in which I am both creator and viewer, is significant in pictopoiesis. The painting evolves like a living organism, a growing and developing body […]

Pictopoiesis: The Living Nature of Oil Paint

  Synopsis Pictopoiesis, a methodological theory rooted in oil painting, explores the concept of imbuing paintings with a sense of “aliveness.” Oil paint’s unique properties, including its responsiveness, organic origin, dynamic drying process, layered depth, and reactive nature, contribute to this perceived vitality. Through the interplay between the artist, medium, and the painting’s own developing […]

Cognitive Infrastructures: contemplations concerning our relationship with synthetic intelligence and our role in its development and evolution.

Particularly pertinent to the Antikythera Studio theme Cognitive Infrastructures, concerning the speculation What does intelligence look like? please visit the link below first: http://www.jwaringrago.blog/what-does-intelligence-look-like/ Please see further images of the installation above, including videos with audio: http://www.jwaringrago.blog/portfolio-2 Further selected work follows below, consisting of imagery of original paintings and the physical works regenerated in the […]

What does intelligence look like?

This post is informed by the Antikythera Studio webinar and the Cognitive Infrastructures theme. The Antikythera Studio will be at Central St Martins this Summer, where the MA Visual Arts, Fine Art Digital course, from which I graduated in 2019, is now based. MIND MIRROR – step back and breathe in the atmosphere of your own […]

Painting as a Form of Cultivation

J. Waring Rago  Artist’s Documentation Concerning Painting as a Form of Cultivation about a Particular Set of Original Works on Prepared Paper 21/12/2023 I approach painting as a form of cultivation, and these recent works on paper exemplify this. I prime only a central area (variable in size and shape) of the paper to delineate […]

Poem a Day

As a start to the day, I love to receive these poems, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation, and this one, along with so many others I have received, is beautiful: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/157534/christos This led me to prompt the ever-so-popular AI bot (see below dotted line at the end of this post) which always gives me a […]

A Point of Reference – Emily Dickinson

Also a botanist! – I still have my herbarium and must not forget to show some visuals of it on this blog. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson

Pictopoietopia Poster

The above is an original draft design for a poster, introducing pictopoiesis to the world in a physical form (wall-hanging or otherwise such as collected in a folder) that is readily (and relatively inexpensively) obtainable in the world. The poster design is a way of combining the written poem and the painting into one form. […]