Out Of Confusion Comes Order, Clarity And Knowledge

Sometimes when you start something new, the confusion can reek havoc with your poor little brain! It is at this moment you can turn and run like a coward or take a deep breath, slow down and dig in. The path to understanding is simple but not necessarily easy. 

Last night I started digging in to the first exercise in the Melodic Structures Volume 1 by Jerry Bergonzi. Man...it took me a while to even understand what he was talking about and exactly what I needed to do for this first assignment. For some of you, breaking down the scales and chords into numbered steps is just baby stuff but coming from an intuitive self-taught by ear background, there was nothing but confusion in my head. 

I felt desperate and contacted a friend with the hope he could shed some light on the matter and just explain what to do. Unfortunately he was not familiar with the book. That is when I remembered being told "after confusion comes order" so I dug my heels in and took it slowly. It didn't take long until I had figured out what I had to play. Eureka! Clarity took place and I had created new neural pathways in my brain. "Look Ma, I've made new brain cells!" I was on my way to working through the first exercise!

You know what Lao Tzu said... "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Slowly, slowly, slowly and patiently I'm going to nail this sucker within my seven day deadline! 

www.jerrybergonzi.com/vol-1-melodic-structures

Credit goes to saxophonist David Strong for recommending this book to me. I would not have taken a second look if I had not been inspired by Dave's funky playing on some Youtube videos I stumbled upon following a trail of funk bread crumbs. Check out some of Dave's funky licks on the videos below.

Now, you might be asking "what the heck does this have to do with visual art?" Well, for me it has everything to do with it. Quite often I begin a painting not knowing where it is going to end up. Improvisation and layering are my personal choices. The process starts off with some spontaneous mark making. After layering, then standing back and responding to what I feel the painting wants, the image can become really busy and confusing. 

At this point, it is so easy to throw one's hands in the air and give up. By all means, I have a break and allow the mind to assimilate everything. Now is the time when persistence, and the knowledge that 'from confusion comes clarity', kicks in. Blind faith and courage are needed to just keep going. To quote from a favourite movie "everything works out in the end and if it hasn't worked out, then it is not the end." The painting tells you what it wants each step of the way. It will also tell you when it is time to stop. We just need to learn how to listen.

Here is an example of this process, 'Tracking Hope' from my Sound In The Landscape series. 

Aria Stone, Tracking Hope, oil, acrylic, wax and pumice on canvas, 76.5 x 76.5 cm

View this and other paintings on my art website: www. ariastone.com.au/tracking-hope