C J Elsip Fine Art

Eyes Is Am Aye

Painted in 2005 as I was planning my first exhibition in New York.
I began with just a simple palette of the blues and violets I love - and an exceptional feeling of confidence and strength. Taking my inspiration from and evoking the forces of nature: fire, water and steam - my thoughts drifted to powerful images of an eternal cycle of evolving, revolving creativity: birth, life, death and re-birth...

Once the underpainting dried, I masked off a panel to construct the appearance of a doorway through to another dimension. I chose to work in shades of red so that the complementary chromatic wavelengths would vibrate against each other - causing the panel to simultaneously appear to float in front and stand behind the blue surroundings. Opaque cadmium pigments were introduced  into a crimson glaze to keep the colour pure and vibrant as I began to clarify the form beginning to appear in the form of a female muse.

As I brought her more into focus, concentrating on the eyes to form an almost confrontational focal point - the name of the Egyptian Goddess Isis sprang to mind. Isis - devoted sister/wife to Osiris, and the creator of new life and hope from tragedy and death; her image is the embodiment of the devoted sustainer, nurturing protector and of cosmic wisdom...

Although I could have gone on refining and re-defining this painting as new images and ideas came to mind - I felt compelled to stop painting while the image was still fresh as I wanted to preserve the quality of spontaneity.. of potential yet unrealised...  to retain the sense that this was still and always will remain - a work in process... just like nature continues her eternal creative cycle in an infinite state of flux...

Likewise -- the title of this piece evolved over a period of time. I am always fascinated by how names evolve through generations, just as our understanding of the world around is ever developing and changing with new discoveries... As I tried to make a concise verbal sense of the vision I had experienced and expressed during the creative process of this piece, I began with the statement. "I Am, Therefore, Isis". This was something of a tribute to Descartes, albeit revising his original premise "I think, therefore I am" to imply "I Am - therefore I think" while combining that thought with a sense of innocent and complete self-acceptance, and the symbolic strength and cosmic wisdom of Isis.

The focal point of this painting is the intense gaze in the eyes of Isis. Eyes are always fascinating to me - as "windows to the soul" they seem to hold both glimpse and reflection of the truth behind the masks we wear for the roles we play. With our eyes, we see... with "seeing" comes perception, awareness, wisdom. As her strength and power grew, Isis assumed the role of "Eye of Re"...

The accompanying statement "I Am - Therefore I-is / Isis" then evolved into "I am, therefore, Eyes-is" as I wanted to incorporate that sense of perceptive self-awareness in the concept. Poetically simplified, it then became "Eyes-Is I Am" ... and  more recently - "Eyes-is Am Aye"... as the "I" or ego dissolves into a simple positive affirmation of complete internal and external acceptance... "Aye" meaning both positive affirmation, and the Scottish term for "Yes" and/or "Always, Forever".

And so - "Eyes is Am Aye" aims to express an eternal awareness, positive affirmation and the hint of curiosity and and question that states and asks all at once: "I am here.  I am aware.  I am strength, creation and wisdom. I am an ever changing, growing, work-in-process. I am eternal. I am ready........ So... what next?!..."