Bouncing around our site you will see a number of pretty symbolic elements; the common theme, as you may have noticed, is that they have all been derived from ancient cultures. Each element serves either as an origin, a reference, or a reminder of an approach to art that has been discovered and subsequently adopted into our protocols and our culture. Collectively they remind us of the integrity we have to maintain when originating ideas: Everything we do is sparked from an idea that in turn was referenced or influenced from something else. We have to pay tribute to our inspirations. It’s big-bang theory, creative karma or just plain honesty depending on who you speak to around here.

So as our name suggests we constantly (and humbly) remind ourselves that a design is only as original as it is evolved from its point of origin. In this way the only thing we will ever replicate is someone’s approach.

One of the approach philosophies we have adopted comes from Chinese Monumental Landscape artists. They saw their mountain-scapes as a tribute to something greater than themselves, and they felt that echoing the serene balance that they found in all nature was the only way to do justice to their subject matter.

There is a story that describes a student forced to begin his composition with a big old mop. The student was then told to try and see a landscape in the broad messy mop-strokes, and then solidify the composition with a tiny ink brush that could only be used on fine detail. Painting like this forced the student to relinquish control and initially only focus on the overall composition. This in turn allowed him to see a new landscape in the mess that he thought he had made. The initial unwieldy process was then balanced by a million tiny brushstrokes of strategically progressive detail. The lesson shows how a balanced approach naturally yields a balanced composition.

It’s a beautiful way of doing things; it’s the paradox of relinquishing control to achieve mastery. We apply the same thinking in our initial approach to all our designs, illustrations and artworks. It forces us to challenge our preconceived visions for our own work.

For us this process is formalised in our little cliff bonsais – the style a tribute to the understated inky expression synonymous with the Chinese masters. The small weather-whipped trees remind us not only of the story, but also that it takes dogged determination, tenacity, and slow, disciplined growth to become swift and intuitive in this approach. Ultimately we acknowledge that mastery of the brush comes from being subject to our subject matter, and being humbled by our inspirations.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 4:50 pm and is filed under Andy's Easel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.