When we make art in the Muse Group,  we are drawing on many different art movements.  In our expressive painting and free writing techniques we can particularly identify with the Automatism of the Surrealists.  

In their revolution against a society ruled by the oppression of the "rational" mind,  the Surrealists sought to tap into another "superior" reality, that of the subconscious. They were influenced at the time by the work of Sigmund Freud. Artists like Andre Breton, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali and Jean Arp practiced automatic drawing and painting, utilizing random movements of the hand.  

Their "automatic" drawings, done as involuntary actions not under the control of the conscious mind, sometimes suggested the illusion of forms.   The conscious mind then took over to develop the work that it was in that way freed from societal constraints and definitions.

In his 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, Andre Breton defined Surrealism as "Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express. . . the actual functioning of thought. . .in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern."

Whether or not we feel the need to revolt against the dictates of our culture, we can certainly benefit from the freedom of automatism. Whether we think our automatic drawings/paintings come from the subconscious, collective unconscious, pure spirit, the great mystery, God, the Daemon or the Muse, we can taste the expansive freedom of that form of expression.  Relaxing the conscious mind even briefly and enlisting the "involuntary" processes is a way to infuse your art with a new richness.  It might actually be the only way!

If you want to try on the hat of the Surrealist you might enjoy the Exquisite Corpse game.

ART PLAY:  The Exquisite Corpse

(These instructions were originally published in 1927 in a Surrealist journal.)

Play a round with your family or friends (ideally in groups of four).  Use drawings or collages or poems.

1.  Fold a piece of paper into the same number of sections as there are participants.

VML Winery, 4035 Westside Road in Healdsburg, CA is known for its superlative Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.  The tasting room, open daily from 11-5 is hosting a show of 13 of my original paintings as well as prints until June 6. 

Santa Rosa Symphony offices at 50 Santa Rosa Ave, Suite 410 (across from the Roxy Theater) is hosting a showing of the Four Hands Painting body of work by Suzanne Edminster and myself in addition to her solo paintings.  You can stop by to see them during their business hours.

Raford House Inn, 10630 Wohler Rd., Healdsburg, CA will be showing a collection of my wine country watercolor paintings starting April 29 for three months.