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It comes as no surprise that the current state of this thing we call life has re-invigorated a wave of popularity with regard to dark art.  Darkness always been around in art but it's resurgence has found itself most recently claiming the walls of galleries, books  and magazines from all over the world. Despite these trends and natural outpourings, there is a truth for some, that transcends our desire to connect with the macabre. Certain artists have remained successful, potent  and honest in translating a view that is perhaps more drenched in air and light, between their dark thoughts and expressions.

Which is to say  that among these artists there is in fact an element of darkness sleeping beneath, and sometimes even expressed, but additionally that they have forged another path in their expression, choosing to recognize light without fear of persecution or ridicule, from an art community that sometimes favors the opposite.  Through the lens of surreal visionaries and light seekers,  we find solace and escape, not only from the darkness of the  world, but also  from the sometimes repetitive expressions of artistic horror which remind us that  we are here... or there.

While the people have spoken in terms of needing to acknowledge a  presence of  darkness in art and I am among them, nothing dark can find it's true balance without the presence of light. Spirituality, memory, transformation, sorrow, wonder, love, and just about anything you can think of, thread themselves through the ethereal paintings of these gifted  artists who expound on why they feel connected to the concept of sometimes offering light as well as darkness. Let us enter into the surreal visions of JC Bravo,  Lara Dann, and Iain Whittaker  as they indulge a different part of the mind, taking us into the illuminated realms of a mental oasis.  

JC Bravo explains the way he sees the subject this way;

" I like taking inspiration, experiences, and feelings that may be considered otherwise wrong or sinful, and use them for the purpose of creating something beautiful. It's like turning ashes into gold. It's a positive transformation that I hope creates  conflict that can make the viewer question their own flaws and beliefs. I think by painting with care, I am revolting against chaos and shedding some light on the darkness of the world.

My art is about self acceptance. My work reflects my inner nature. It expresses the desires and anxieties that fester beneath the surface. I paint these images because I have learned to accept and embrace who I am. I believe self acceptance is important in bringing about honest and original work. In order to create, one has to believe that the thoughts and dreams that inspire the creative process are something good. Believing in oneself and loving who we are, delivers a profound force that fuels the completion of meaningful paintings."

Bravo truly brings this triumph and metamorphosis to the canvas, and visually soothes through both palette as well as flow and content. 

Lara Dann is also honest in saying that she is no stranger to darkness despite the balance she tries to bring to the subject of her work and self, and she explains her journey of light this way: 

" I connect greatly with the sense of dark, but need to live in the light to overcome it. And I guess that's how my work resonates. There's darkness within my light that's not always obvious. I work from everything psychologically. Even my imperfect childhood. I think I paint those flowers and butterflies with eyes because as a child I felt so watched. There was a sense of perversion and voyeurism. Despite the darkness that exists in me, I think I express this way because of my observations on how the world has been stripped of nature"

Honest outpourings like the one from Dann go on to reiterate that  art is figurative in it's exploration of all emotions, both good and bad. Her pain is processed through a colorful filter, and is reinvented by her own psychological process and hand in the context of her art. 

Painter Iain Whittaker breathes light onto the canvas while also expressing a sadness that somehow emerges as a phoenix to the eyes. I asked Iain to explain a bit about his process and how he thinks he may have arrived. 

"This particular picture began with a portrait of my home town and cul-de-sacs of dysfunction. Nothing belongs, nothing is where it should be, but then, for me at that time, this toxic congregation felt absolutely right. It took me some time to discover that I was exploring the pathology of the migrant experience and the legacy of parental decisions in 'Goodness Know Where' . A critical metastasis had taken flight deeply cynical of contemporary culture. Something valuable and ugly was being unearthed, erupting into a devastating personal and collective groundlessness within the seared flesh of that angry red throne. (inspired by Enid Blyton’s Wishing Chair). Snail paced as always, family events caught up with the painting process in uncanny ways... in the midst of sociopathic, and darkly possessive forces, which gagged and sabotaged to achieve mercenary ends, and here my father's fall was foreshadowed in paint. " 

His words read as a purging of sorts, and indicate an emancipation through the process of  brush work. His verbal expression is no less dark than the rest and more so than most.  His work however imparts a wide range of emotion onto the exalted viewer who finds himself  woven through Whittaker's emotionally charged strokes while feeling sometimes shadowed, and other times lit. 

We watch in awe as the artist works, re-works and reinvents the reality from which they came. We know that every picture tells a story, and that sorrow is not owned by any one person. Certainly not by one category of art or artists. It is  the thread of life that connects us all.  This is true of artists who create dark images, and also true of those who are compelled to create and explore  images filled with light. It is here we are reminded that all forms of self expression can be anything but literal. In a place  we find so often murky and damp, still there is room for  lightness of being to shine through, and when it does, the power of art can transport us out of the darkness and into the light. Art reminds us that we can never truly make assumptions based on what we see about any artist. All forms of expression are valid and are often  abstractly, reflective of where the creator is  in the moment.  For these artists, it's not so much about the denial of darkness.  It's more about the injection of lighted imagery into their processed darkness. We all know darkness.  This injection impressively  lends itself to the  creation of powerful, transcendent,   captivating paintings and speaks to what has now become a neglected part of our psychology. These works serve not much as aversion therapy, but rather as visual sedatives.  Long live the  darkness in art, but also,  long live the  consequent rescue through the portal of  light. May we continue to find balance in them all. 

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