Wesley Allen Riley
Finding a method in the madness.
Catharsis
“The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.”
Art has always been a beautifully torturous undertaking for me. At times, it pours out of me. Most of the time, it manifests as a deep inward struggle. The uncaging of some unseen aspect from within.
There’s always a resistance. A desire to turn my back on the page. That stark white nightmare. Yet in facing that curious chaos. Dancing in the dark with that unknown entity.
What remains is always a deeply assured sense of calm and accomplishment. Like the shedding of an old skin. The cleansing of a fresh wound.
“IF YOU’RE GOING THROUGH HELL, KEEP GOING.”
The contents of my art have always taken a dark tone. Even so, this perpetual darkness stands in opposition to my outward attitude. While my life has been riddled with more misfortune than most, I have strived to smile at the ebb and flow of circumstance. Accepting those things that are outside of my control and understanding that in struggle we may find genuine personal strength.
Authenticity
The fundamental cornerstone of my approach towards making art.
Perhaps my greatest adversary in the creative process remains that old and aching question. Tirelessly demanding an answer,
“Is it good?”
Countless times I have found myself paralyzed in that gorgon’s glare. The inward eye that dispels this illusion is authenticity. The pursuit of authenticity is when the seasoned artist embarks on their endless inward journey of growth and self-discovery.
Pablo was always a master of the craft. He created many striking photo realistic oil paintings as a young artist. Yet, these works are not what we think of when we reflect on this legendary creator.
Picasso became Picasso once he embraced cubism.
Once he followed his courage. Spoke his Truth.
A Method In the Madness
The Madness
This website marks a culmination of all of my artistic ambitions.
A home for all the oddities. A personal journey laid bare. Not merely a place to gather my creations and sell my wares, but also an ever growing meditation on what being creative means to me.
Sharing that Truth. And endeavoring to inspire others to pursue their own unique authenticity in art.
My personal art is a peculiar breed of madness that pours out from me. Not in a negative sense. No.
Rather in a Dionysian capturing of the spirit. I can easily lose myself it in. Identity and ego melting away for hours at a time.
The real struggle lay not in the process itself. But only in the need to get out of my own way.
Never Stop Seeking
The journey of the artist is endless and ever changing. To think that you have found a final objective framework of the thing.
This is to misunderstand its most primordial form. That spiraling chaos which feeds once more into itself.
The creative act is to mimic this oldest of loops. Diving down again and again into ourselves. Pulling out personal meanings. Reintegrating the Truth’s that we have learned.
Please consider following my weekly blog posts if you wish to follow my own personal journey into the Curious Chaos.
Let it Go
Once an artist has completed a piece. She should endeavor to let it go.
The practice of detachment is ubiquitously heralded as a means towards inner peace and spiritual growth.
By releasing our grip on finished works. We allow others into the creative journey.
We invite and encourage them to make their own meaning out of our creations. Rather than requiring others to see the world just as we do.
We instead provide them a lens, tinted from our own uniqueness, to help color their realities. A wholly original kaleidoscope of the self.
Welcome
It is no accident that you found your way to my peculiar little corner of creativity. I don’t believe in accidents. Not in Art.
Only new opportunities and adventures to pursue. Another chance to delve deeper into the inward exploration once more.
I hope that you will follow my treks down into the dark. I shall leave lamplights to guide the way.
Not that you may follow precisely in my footsteps. No.
Only to remind you that you are not alone on your own personal exploration of authenticity.
That even in the dark. Together we may light the way.
