The Mind's Eye / The 3rd Eye

The concept of the “3rd Eye” comes from the Ajna Chakra (the 2nd Chakra down at brow level) in western spiritual tradition. It represents enlightenment and awareness and is represented as a lotus with two petals and is violet in color.  Chakras are our energy centers. They are the openings for life energy to flow into and out of our aura. Their function is to vitalize the physical body and to bring about the development of our self-consciousness. They are associated with our physical, mental and emotional interactions.  The Ajna Chakra deals in self reflection and visualization and is in place of the mind's eye on the forehead.

Here are some detail thumbnails from several of my works involving The Third Eye...

The Third Eye can reflect a range of visions and emotions...

We are all artists of the mind. Think about your favorite painting and you see it, think of the one you love and you see their face clear as day but not with your eyes… with your mind. Your mind is the birthplace of dreams and every idea that has achieved what we now call the “experience age,” where communication and technology have broken the world wide open, giving access to countless people and knowledge and sharing. The power of the mind is the secret to the universe and through visualization you can achieve anything… it started with a wheel and now we have wireless communication and 3D movies. Visualize what you WANT today!

“Dreaming of that face again.
It's bright and blue and shimmering.
Grinning wide
And comforting me with it's three warm and wild eyes.”

-Tool, “Third Eye”

Visions, clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, and heightened states of enlightenment are all considered work of the 3rd Eye. Visual arts are also products of our imagination. The mind gives drive and ability to create with our hands and colors and tools. People are free to translate their visions into countless forms or media, art, and expression.

The 3rd Eye is a constant theme in my work and the concept itself is a permanent musing of mine. Thoughts become THINGS! So choose the GOOD ones!  

-B

The Third Eye
40 Full Color Pages  /  2010  /  8.5in x 5.5in
SOLD OUT

This collection of art center around the theme of the Mystic Eye or The Third Eye.  Includes illustrations, paintings, and mixed media works as well as a statement from the artist.

 

Episodes (Selected Poem-Prose: 2008-2010) by Zach Matteson

Zach Matteson will be self-publishing a volume of written work this weekend for his Master's Thesis at APSU. I had the pleasure of talking with him about his work and designing and illustrating a cover for the collection this week. Zach has a fine grasp on his voice and has harnessed some wonderful situations onto paper for his audience. I'll take the liberty of giving audience to a sample with you here...


Zach's Thesis:

One cannot disinherit narrative,

neither the number

nor the pronoun.

Ask a mathematician, a linguist.

Sequence equals consequence.



PLASTIC MENAGERIE: 1989


You learn early that fireflies don’t bite, that insects that can’t make their own are attracted to light. My mother drowns a plastic, peanut butter jar in dishwater. With her nails, she flays the wolfish visage of its flakey fish-scale label. No bowl molds before soaking in her sink, though macaroni grows occasionally hairy, forgotten in the fridge. She slits the lid with squinty-eyes.


Zach, I also had a poem with Erato as the subject in my first volume of poety, entitled Sun Twist. My brow went wAY uP when I saw the title in your final draft. Keep the translation of your voice tuned and sound; it's a fine instrument which you've mastered.

Mickey Brand Halo

Early last year, I was contacted online by Toby HK, a designer and liaison for the Hong Kong division of Disney about a project entitled Mickey Brand Halo. A few dozen artists were chosen to paint custom 12 inch tall vinyl Mickey Mouse toys to be showcased in Hong Kong at Times Square and auctioned off for charity. Other artists and designers came together for the event with paintings, sculptures, and utilitarian works to commemorate Mickey and his iconic image. Although I couldn't make it to the opening, Toby was kind enough to send out pics of the event.



My Mickey sported my own pop-surrealist style! On the back-side shot posted here, you can see I gave a window into his brain and what's on it! I never got a good pic of the insides of his hands due to the angle (which also was very difficult to paint!). In his left hand is a U.S. penny and in his right hand a pellet of green rat bait... which might also explain the look on his face and the foam at the mouth! I'm glad to say he made it around the world to me and back and now takes happy residence there. It was loads of fun taking part in a project for a company like Disney and hope there are similar opportunities in the future!

The Dogwood Arts Festival

This past weekend was a special occasion for me, being the first arts festival I have attended outside of Middle Tennessee, the 50th annual Dogwood Arts Festival. I arrived with Aurora, van packed down with a year's worth of artwork and prints just behind the rain Thursday evening to load in and find optimistic vendors setting up in the gloomy muck. The weekend did not disappoint with the weather being the topic on the tips of most peoples tongues.

I found myself some more this weekend or better put- reinforced my belief in my work to mySELF by opening my heart and mind to the general public. It's weird watching a sea of people float by your work. A double-take here and there. Occasionally, you catch an eye bulge or facial expression similar to something I'd draw. If the purpose of art is to evoke emotion, I'm a successful man. I saw parents pull their children back from my work and saw others hold them and laugh and laugh and point and giggle. I saw people stare and saw people take one look and shake their head in disgust. I talked to kids barely in school and men who told me psychedelic stories from fifty years ago. All of them told me the ways my work opened their mind. In turn, these perfect strangers (and some new friends) gave me new perspectives on the effect of what I do.

Congratulations to Alex Bowers who won my drawing for an original framed illustration on Sunday. He took home a couple of my buttons the day before and I spotted him later on with the Timothy Leary button pinned on his little brother!

Yellow Submarine

On our way to Knoxville for The Dogwood Arts Festival, we ran into Marty from The Liverpool Legends (The Ultimate Beatles Tribute Experience), who was in route from Missouri to Pigeon Forge to rock the socks off his legion of screaming groupies from Rocky Top.

Marty was cool enough to talk to us about his Yellow Submarine Bug and pose with one of my prints of my illustration, Octopus's Garden, which I gave him for having the trippiest hippiest ride on the block!

Inside Job

Here is a fun digital work which took a ride to San Diego late last year to Thumbprint Gallery for their PROPAGANDA exhibit. I had him matted with a white matte printed with the company logos from all the corporations who profited from the Middle Eastern invasions of the past decade.

Dick had a grouchy ride back via ground service FedEx. Dick doesn't like me very much because I argue with him all the time so I had to let him stay at my dear friend Su's house. I think they're getting by... I wouldn't argue with Su. She knows her false flag operations.

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