[Today’s featured artwork for Day 111 of the 365 Days Project is by Jina Wallwork.]
Life, death, art, rebirth. Bringing the mysteries into the physical world.
#111 – Artists and mystics walk the path beyond the veil, moving from the physical world into the realm of spirit. While both use that experience in their work, it is the Artist who pulls it back into the physical world to be viewed as art, music, dance, poetry.
The place of creation lies somewhere between the physical and spiritual worlds. Artists travel there daily, bringing back the magic and mystery from a place most people rarely visit on their own. Translating those visions into physical form is a challenge, and symbolism is the Artist’s tool of choice.
I have always been fascinated by the world of spirit and life beyond what we know here on Earth. When I saw Jina Wallwork’s paintings, I discovered that she was also born with the gift of clairvoyance. At five years of age, after seeing a poster of Blue Nude (1902) by Picasso on the wall of a friend’s house, she made numerous attempts to draw this image from memory, instinctively knowing that there was something magical about it. The spiritual influence on her work grew as her talent evolved.
What particularly caught my eye in Wallwork’s portfolio was a series of four paintings representing what the artist called the “First, Second, Third and Fourth Entry of a Soul into the Universe.”
Taking on the challenge of creating a visual representation of what happens after we leave this world intrigued me, so I asked her more about these enigmatic paintings.
SerenaK:
Is this series on the “Entry of a Soul into the Universe” a literal translation of what you “see”?
Wallwork:
“There are many different ways of perceiving the world. We do not see through our vision alone. As the soul enters the universe, it does not yet have a body. Its perception is very different from how we view the world. We observe through our eyes and sometimes fool ourselves into believing that is the only way to see. As a soul, your vision is different. Your perception includes what you feel and think of an experience. It is a more rounded perception. When painting the process of entering the universe, I had to translate the soul’s perception into a visual perception. The paintings are therefore a combination of two different ways of seeing.”
SerenaK:
Why did you choose to “unveil” that particular mystery?
Wallwork:
“I talked to a lot of people who had passed over. I was just interested and I asked a lot of questions. Then I became obsessed with finding the answers. I wanted to know. When you glimpse a pattern that is perfection, it just inspires more questions. I didn’t believe that existence could be so perfect and the more I saw, the more I was blown away by the beauty of it all. It just made me want to delve deeper. Sometimes life doesn’t seem to make sense, and the only way it can be understood is by looking at the journey as a whole.”
SerenaK:
What do you think the average viewer, who may not have actually contemplated the process, might comprehend from the series?
Wallwork:
“I think everybody knows the soul’s process of entering the universe. Most people forget, but it is still inside them. Large pieces of knowledge are hidden within one’s own soul. It’s amazing how easy it can be to forget our infinite journey. To some people, these paintings will reveal something, to others it will mean nothing. There is little urgency in proving what I know to be true. I feel no urgency to deliver knowledge that already exists within another’s soul. They will find it themselves when the time is right for them.”
SerenaK:
Has the “Entry of a Soul into the Universe” series ever been exhibited?
Wallwork:
“This particular series has not been exhibited, although it is included it in a book I wrote on death and rebirth. I feel a little precious about these paintings, which is strange because I’m usually comfortable about letting my work go. I have an instinctive feeling, however, that I must keep the paintings together.”
“When walking through darkness art becomes a light. You stumble as you are trying to adjust your eyesight to the dark. Suddenly you find a completely new way of seeing. Beyond the surface, you begin to feel the appearance of an object. You begin to feel the world and you then create an image to portray that feeling. When anyone views your art, they are using your eyes to see.”
Artists reveal these and other secrets in many ways – some are obscurely symbolic while others, like Wallwork’s paintings, often use a more direct “translation”. Either way, it is the Artist who can return from the spiritual world and offer that “light” to those willing to see beyond the darkness.
Jina Wallwork’s artwork can be viewed at: Jina Wallwork
Descriptions of the images included in this article:
Death and Rebirth
Jina Wallwork, United Kingdom
Acrylic and varnish on canvas
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Entry of a Soul into the Universe
Jina Wallwork, United Kingdom
Acrylic on canvas
Energy
Jina Wallwork, United Kingdom
Acrylic on canvas
The 365 Days Project
In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.
Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.
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