When The World Turned Upside Down
Some events in history define the direction of the future…….such as the day……..
Title : When The World Turned Upside Down
Coffee And Cake
Nothing has been the same ever since…………even….
Title : Coffee and Cake
Copyright Burgess 2013 (c) All rights reserved.
Memories Of Bleecker Street
Memories are layered thoughts and feelings……..
Some are clear and others merge and combine…..dream-like.
This is a layered memory…….to be explored and discovered.
Bleecker Street is full of fond memories for me having lived there for 7 years.
It is in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York.
Titled : Memories Of Bleecker Street
Burgess 2013 (c) All rights reserved.
A Taste Of The New In Nerang
Many artists are drawn to rundown places because of their cheap rents and large spaces. This environment stimulates creativity and allows the artist to focus on what is really important in life…… deeper values and meaning.
Then, as many artists move to this less desirable area they work their magic introducing trendy looking coffee shops art galleries, boutiques etc………and prices rise. Soon the area is “the place” to live.
The irony is……..many artists are forced to move on and find another place to develop.
This was my experience in New York.
Arriving in the 80’s and setting up residence in a SoHo loft/studio in lower Manhattan.
The area was changing and by mid 90’s it area was being referred to as a “Mall” environment with most of the galleries moving to Chelsea on the lower West side.
I moved to a large loft in an old factory at the sleepy less known area at Long Island City just across the river from Grand Central Station at 42nd Street.
Such is…… The Artist’s Cycle Of Renewal
Now I find the same process at work where I am now…….they are advertising…..The Changing Face of Nerang.
Burgess 2013 (c) All rights reserved.
Central Park – New York NY
As anyone who knows me knows…..my heart is very rooted in New York
and what could be more NY than Central Park
Here is a black and white photograph of mine simply titled …….
Central Park – New York NY
Burgess 2013 (c) All rights reserved.
160 Bleecker Street
A new artwork in acrylic ink and charcoal.
Titled : “160 Bleecker Street”
Copyright Burgess 2013 (c) All rights reserved.
SOHO Works 1
The work below is very complex and took several years to complete.
SoHo Works
These were images from a show I had in SoHo New York in the 90’s.
These particular works are very different and you could find them hard to understand. I do too, so it is only natural you do.
My works often go in directions that are “out there.” But since I am attempting to take ART into new directions how could it be any other way.
The world will catch up eventually and if they don’t……. so be it.
Vincent Van Gogh’s work took time for people to accept and come to enjoy. Everything new is hard at first.
Still, as you can see, many of my works today are still in a similar format.
I would love to get your comments about how this work makes you feel. Love..hate…whatever.
UPDATE: Writing this is clarifying my thoughts as I go. The works I did in NY were the equivalent of Picasso’s Analytical Cubism. Not feeling but learning my craft. The real FEELING is beginning to manifest NOW. Look out for my latest painting.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Work in Progress
The above is a painting which I have been working for some time. You might see 29 DECEMBRE in it. This came from a Picasso Still Life.
At an earlier stage
Today I’m giving you a rare insight into my studio to see one of my paintings in progress. I have been working on it for a year or two.
The silence which I featured recently went through stages such as this before it was finished.
It reveals my love of colour and energy but as artists will understand ….. there is so much going it is hard to resolve.
There have been times when I simplified things such as A New York Show
Not at present….. now the struggle goes on.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Reclining Nude Apple Core
This beautiful nude apple core agreed to do a photo shoot with me. We had a lot of fun. There was nothing it would not do. It even appeared in an artwork of mine. I think you can see how much it enjoyed the experience.
It could even become the most famous Apple Core Model in the World.
Cezanne gave the Apple to Paris and I am now giving the Apple Core to the World.
Standing Nude Apple Core
Artwork with Nude Apple Core
I sincerely thank the Nude Apple Core and really appreciate what it contributed to my art….and the world.
Of course this is just a “taste” of the work we did together in the session.
So next time you see a nude apple core give it respect ………. it has feeling too!
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Winter in New York No 1 – The West Village
Winter in New York can be very cold ………. as these two photos show.
Growing up in Australia I had never seen snow until I experienced a NY winter storm. I loved it. Everything about it. How snow falls and pockets in areas. All goes quiet. Most people stay indoors. Not me. I had to experience all of it. Central Park just after fresh snow is a real wonderland. Motor vehicles become lost. And there is nothing like going inside after being out in blizzard conditions.
To locals it is another inconvenient storm which makes it difficult to get around. To me a visual and emotional experience like no other. The big white neutralizes all colors and sounds. An eerie peace descends upon city that never sleeps and never quietens …….except in a big storm. It is magic to me. How Nature quietens the big beast.
Ahhh! Nothing like a big snow storm in the Big Apple.
Winter in New York No 2 – The West Village
And when the snow begins to melt…………that is another story.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
The Blue Bucket
This photograph has a slight cubist element to it. Somebody the other day said their boss loves Cubism but they don’t know what it is. Most of the people on the planet are like that too. I can remember when I was one of them.
So although I had no intention of discussing Cubism I can see an opportunity here to educate…..no inform maybe one or two of you out there what Cubism really is.
Cubism was an art movement pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque during the years 1907 – 1914, that revolutionised Western Art, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. Cubism is considered the one of the most influential art movement of the 20th century.
Cubism was created by 2 guys….Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque during the years 1907 – 1914.
Picasso wanted to be the Greatest Painter ever so he teamed up with Braque to change the way we see the world …big time!
What Cubism basically does is breaks the object up into smaller facets which can show the gradually movement around the object thus revealing what it looks like in 3D. In other words it attempts to show in one artwork what things look like as you move around them and not just from one viewpoint.
There are different stages in the development of Cubism but one of the greatest paintings was Les Demoiselles d’Avignon 1907, considered to be a major step towards the founding of the Cubist movement
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon Picasso 1907
2 Versions of Les Demoiselles by me.
I have done many versions of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and just 2 are shown above.
2 more examples of Cubism
When I started this post I had no idea I would be discussing Cubism. This was a MAJOR turning point in Modern Art and is a study in itself. Please feel free to add any comments.
Oh back to my bucket photo ……..well I particularly like the reflections on the floor. It almost seems like water. Also the light streaming through the bucket highlights the translucent quality of the plastic. But after Cubism lets not talk any further about the bucket photo.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Electric Circus
Another new work best described as New Media Art.
The titled was inspired by The Electric Circus which was a nightclub and discotheque located at 19-25 St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, from 1967 to September 1971. It set out to “play games, dress as you like, dance, sit, think, tune in and turn on,” and its mix of light shows, music, circus performers and experimental theater, the Electric Circus embodied the wild and creative side of 1960s club culture.
Prints available at Saatchi Online http://www.saatchionline.com/art/New-Media-Art-Computer-Art-Electric-Circus/348950/191769/
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
The Anniversary
September 11th 2001
8.00am Having breakfast at home in New York to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary. My wife and I have day off and are preparing to go to the World Trade Center for lunch about noon.
8.40am Call from Australia to wish us Happy Anniversary.
8.55am Caller says they are watching evening news and a plane just went into a tower of the World trade Center.
8.57am Turn on morning television in New York to watch the horrific drama unfold not far from us.
9:58am The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
10:28am The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
Everything CHANGES in New York………… and the world.
Our Wedding Anniversary has never been the same since that date. However a few hours difference and we might not be here to celebrate at all.
Our deepest and most profound sympathies to all those who lost love ones on that fateful day in history.
2nd Tower Hit
Below are a couple of the more joyful times associated with World Trade.
One of our first views
View from 107th Floor
Our Downtown View for 7 years
A note on back of photo
Today is the first day since then that we can begin to celebrate what should be a very happy time in people’s lives. We do have a lot to celebrate.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Central Park
Today I wanted to share with you something that really interests me. What we see about us. As an artist you learn to see many things in the world that most people don’t see. Your eye is trained for it. And when we see things that touch us we are able to bring our vision to the world and help others see it too.
Well today I want you to see 2 things I just discovered in my neighborhood which I did not know were here. Things we don’t see in our own neighborhood.
I did not know we have a Central Park nearby. And a Precinct. Both of these fascinated me in New York and now I find them here. Amazing!
So how much have you got in your own area which you do not know is there at present. Shock yourself and go see. I did…and do.
The Precinct
The Room
Deep within my image files I found this photograph I took several years ago.
I did give it a small amount of editing. The original is shown below.
The Room 2
Shown below are two images which I feel are related to the above.
Sunrise Norham Castle – Turner
The painting above is by the famous English Landscape/Seascape artist J.M.W. Turner and was done late in his career. He was always a painter of light.
Another Room
This final image is an unedited photo of mine which I found while looking for the original of The Room shown at the top of this post. Both images could be called “mistakes” but I like them anyway. How about you?
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
The Seventh Day – Red
The Seventh Day – Blue
The Seventh Day – Yellow
These are three new combination artworks. New media Art. Process and change.
And you may be wondering about the title…. What happens on the seventh day?
A Day of Rest. In all cultures and religions the seventh day, whatever day it is recognized as, (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) is a day of rest. Nearly everything is or was closed. This has changed. These days the clear distinction of a day of rest has mostly gone and our new world boasts of being Open 24/7.
Since I love opposites or seeing the world in a new way this artworks reflects this non stop movement and energy. In fact it is anything but rest.
Many people agree with this full on lifestyle of today. Being able to shop, visit places or do things 7 days a week gives us more freedom and opportunity to do what we want… when we want. It has had many benefits.
So when you look at these images I hope they might help you to think of new opportunities, freedom, and the energy to achieve whatever you want in life…. even if it is just….a day of rest.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Mystique
This is a new artwork developed from an earlier painting of mine. Probably best described as New Media Art. It is a combination of many processes and it does seem to have that 3D thing happening again.
I was once told I was a Mayan Priest in another life. I don’t know about that but this image does remind me of Mayan/Inca Art. If you have any thoughts on the symbolism expressed in the image please share them with us.
Maybe I should add Mayan Priest to my work description?
Prints are available at Saatchi Online
http://www.saatchionline.com/art/New-Media-Art-Multimedia-Mystique/348950/190121/view
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Cinema Of Imperfections
For best effect (3D or is it just me?) please click on image to view larger image.
Cinema of Imperfections are surging through my veins
over the mountains and down on the plains
The leading character is full of faults
the plot is weak, there is no script.
Only a dream holds this project together
and yet somehow…… something happens.
Celebrations in in order!
Prints available at Saatchi Online
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Morning Walk Flowers – One
These are flowers I met on my morning walk and who said they wanted to be photographed and shared with the world. With such beauty I had to agree. Unfortunately I did not get their names so if you recognize them please add a comment.
Morning Walk Flowers – Two
The morning walk is often the inspiration for many photographs. It is an endless source of discovery and amazement. I have even made three videos/movies and taken hundreds, maybe thousands of photos.
Now I have just visited YouTube and noticed one of my Morning Walks movies. I will share it here too. It is a very uptempo fast moving movie unlike most of my others. The song refers to the boy from New York City which is myself. I was told that I was a New Yorker after living there for 7 years even though I ended up living there for 15 years.
I hope you enjoy my Morning Walks as much as I do.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Roundabout?
Here’s an image I captured one morning while walking. It is ……… No I won’t tell you what it is. Rather you are welcome to guess what you think it is.
I love random shots which force us to see things in a new way….from a different point of view. I believe anything which gets us out of our familiar, routine ruts and makes us think or feel to enrich our lives is good. I hope that an image such as this does that.
Let me know what you think.
Had to add this photo taken later today which shows the complete bubblegum dispensing machine. I love this photo as it is full of colour, shapes and fun. And the first reply was right. Thanks.
The Bubblegum Dispenser
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
The Time Traveller Meets Vincent
Sometimes…….things……just…..happen.
To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. William Blake
Yesterday I wrote….
“My art is about the every day, the common place, the ordinary
and attempting to make it
the EXTRAORDINARY, the MOST UNCOMMON, and the SUBLIME!”
The inspiration and source of this transformation comes from within.
This image began as something ordinary. I hope I was able to transform it into something extraordinary.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Muybridge – A Portrait
Eadweard Muybridge (9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904) was an English photographer important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion. His work has had a big influence on artists particularly revealing difficult to see detail of bodies of humans and animals etc. in motion.
So why am I interested in his work?
A definition of motion is “a meaningful or expressive CHANGE in the position of a body”. My art is about CHANGE and the essence of CHANGE so I can easily relate to his work. Everything is changing all the time whether we see it or not.
The definition also happens to mention the expressive nature of change. This is a very important part of my work too. Showing CHANGE as an expressive act.
So with my portrait of this extraordinary man I have attempted to bring together several important aspects of my art. Firstly a tribute to a man of vision, a pioneer. Secondly a reference to the way he changed the way we see the world, like Cezanne, Picasso and others. Thirdly, the nature of change itself. How everything is evolving into something else all the time. And finally the expressive quality of change. How things are always breaking up, reforming, disintegrating and moving to form something new and different.
CHANGE is something many of us resist or are fearful of…. including myself. Often it involves pain. Nobody wants that. Yet to accept it as it really is…….. simply as a necessary part of growth to something new and better, it will transform our lives and help understand and accept the process of change. (Some may choose the negative attitude of change as worse or decline even though it must eventually lead to renewal). The bottom line is if we do not accept change LIFE will impose it upon us anyway.
Finally and most importantly we have power to influence the direction of the change. My art aims to show this too.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Magic No1 – Light from Above
Since the initial discovery of The Magic Still Life in a Box reports are coming in that reveal the source of it’s amazing magic.
A lady in Toronto Canada reports that upon meditating on it a Higher Light revealed itself from the area of the lampshade at the top of the still life. She thought this was a sign from above. This was confirmed when with just one session of meditation a philanthropic neighbor agreed to pay off her mortgage and she is now debt free.
Horn of Plenty
Another young man in New York said that a virtual Horn of Plenty has opened up to him. His boss gave him a 100% increase in pay, he met the girl of his dreams and won the lottery …….. all in one day!!!!
Yellow Heart
A little girl in London UK says she sees a yellow heart every time she looks at the image and took this photo with her iPhone to prove it. More importantly her mother and father stopped fighting after many years and decided to go on a long family vacation together. This was a big dream of hers.
Symbolism No1
Symbolism No2
Symbolism No3
People all over the world are reporting various symbols which seem to to be attached to this image. Above are just three but many more are coming in. The first links the image to the great magical powers of the pyramids of Egypt. The second, the Number 63 is a little known but very powerful ancient healing number which is said to open the Door of Eternity and give ever lasting life. One of the most bizarre stories is that a map of Australia superimposed over it touches the mid points of all objects.
As you can see there seems to be mounting evidence to prove the magic in this image. I must admit I was a skeptic but it seems that this image really does have magical properties.
Regardless of what happens in the future it is already clear that magic is all around us and all we have to do is OPEN our eyes to find it every day. The world is truly an amazing place and ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Keep watching the Box!!!!
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Two Little Visitors
Meet Princess and Ewok. Guess you can work out who’s who. They are currently staying at the Chateau and are excellent guests and it is a pleasure to have them. Both are kind, friendly and very loving and currently enjoying the morning sun. With a face to melt the hardest heart they are so endearing and bring constant joy every moment of the day.
It is cold here at present although the days warm up. Nothing like a New York winter. Never snow and cold means 9 C or 50 F. Everything is relative in life and that seems cold after normal daily temperatures around 20 C or 70 F.
Here is another photo of a scene from a shopping center on the Coast.
River View
While shopping you can have a break and sit and watch the passing boats etc. Some people even park their boats to do their shopping. The Chateau is closer to the mountains which you can just see in the distance in the center of the photo. Very, very, very different to New York.
Here is a little local trivia which you might find interesting.
Welcome
This is a photo montage I did last year. The title “Welcome” comes from the obvious doormat and the chance happening of a mother and child stepping into a bus and being welcomed by the driver.
The setting is the front room of a house with the wall dissolved so you can see what is happening outside as well as inside. It is all put together with my often used grid construction. Many hours of work went into the making of the image.
Since my art is about seeing the world in a new way this image seems to do this.
Wonder if the word welcome came from ……well come…….inside???
You are “welcome” to make any comments.
Copyright Burgess 2011 (c) All rights reserved.
Two Miles to Heaven and Hell is Not in Sight
New painting. Title : “Two Miles to Heaven and Hell is Not in Sight”
Maybe the Heaven and Hell series has just begun.
Guess this one does not look much like approaching heaven. But since I have not been there I do not know. Maybe it is approaching Jackson Pollock’s Heaven? All I know is this painting emerged and the title was presented to me. It may still change. My art is ALWAYS CHANGING. So keep posted and see what happens. (it just changed)
Don’t ask why I posted the following. Things can just burst forth. I believe in honoring and trusting our creative spirit…..the Divine within. Sometimes it may not seem to make sense at the moment (of creation) but it becomes clear over time. Some call it a hunch, gut reaction, intuition, Divine guidance, Higher Self. It does not matter. All that matters is you listen to and obey it. It will not harm anybody because it comes from a source of pure LOVE and therefore should be embraced. It knows only Truth and as it is said………the truth will set you free (it might just seem to take a while).
“Crisp as a doughnut. Small as a flea.
This painting tells you …….a lot about me.”
So I guess it could be called
” Two Miles to Heaven and Hell is Not in Sight – A Self Portrait”
But as someone once said….
What’s in a name? That which we call a painting
By any other name would still just look like paint. (Thanks Shakespeare)
Now back to the studio to find……. Heaven! (Hell is not in sight)
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
The Visitors by R. J. Burgess (BURGESSART)
New drawing. Drawing is my passion. Love it and have always done so. I know my drawing can be weird and unusual at times. That’s just what happens as I am drawing.
This drawing is now listed on Saatchi Online for sale as a print
http://www.saatchionline.com/art/Drawing-Charcoal-The-Visitors/348950/182179/view
Any comments are always welcome.
Part of a New York Show
More reflections. This was part of a New York show I had in the nineties. I have continued to work in these formats (as well as others) but the works have changed a lot.
This side of my work is all about CHANGE and EVOLUTION. How things are always evolving into something else. How each part makes up the WHOLE while still maintaining it’s own integrity (greatness). Maybe a bit like how we fit into our community, country or world. We all make up the WHOLE. The Rowers shown recently is a newer work.
There is another side of my art which I am sharing mostly on my Pictify account. Link is http://pictify.com/user/Burgessart
This my fiery EMOTIONAL side where I allow instinctive raw emotions to express without censorship or editing. The squares are also the result of this energy but they are more focused, disciplined and contained.
Working in isolation has many benefits and has allowed me to explore lots of ideas and techniques etc. Also allowed me time for clarification and reflection for which I am most grateful.
Here is a larger image of the main painting shown above. It was 48 inches x 72 inches in size.
NY Painting
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
Cate – (Many Faces of)
Here is one of my drawings of Cate …..Blanchett. I have worked on developing her images for several years.
Copyright Burgess 2012 (c) All rights reserved.
ONE
ONE – Meaning
In NY I did a lot of number drawings and paintings. Here is a version of ONE and a few thoughts about the number at the time.
I know it’s a bit heavy….but I just share what comes out of me. Maybe I should add now.
ONE is a good cup of coffee in the morning!
Student Painting
Found this image of a painting I did when I was a student a long time ago. My love of rhythm was obvious then.
BURGESSART 
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