I am a dreamer. I am a dreamer who strives to make dreams come true. My journey has been far and wide; an eclectic voyage of the physical world and a multi-dimensional exploration of inner space. Although I faced many challenges and obstacles along the way, with a loving family and many friends from all walks of life, I always found the energy and the will to fulfill my dreams.
I was a materials research scientist in the private sector, an occupational health specialist with the federal government, owner of an internet company and several businesses in the gourmet & natural foods industry; and now a painter of dreams. I traveled around the world for work and play and fortunately for me work was always play. Of course, I played very hard. And as I proceed on this new path, I am reminded that exploring, creating, science and art are the same activities - playful work seeking truth, meaning and joy.
Since childhood, I was always able to consciously dream. I had serial dreams that picked up where they left off the night before, all initiated by my conscious will. Over the years, I learned and practiced the more complex techniques of lucid and yoga dreaming. Many of my dreams are reality-based, others are archetypal and myth-oriented. On rare occasions these dreams are beyond subject or object, containing an energy and an essence which dream yogis call the clear light.
I was involved in early brain experiments using biofeedback and sensory deprivation to produce and control brain wave patterns and consciousness levels. These experiences taught me that our consciousness creates reality and exists as a separate entity with a will that can manifest good deeds and works. I used pencil and paper to draw images of and to write about my Inner space explorations and this continues to be one of my greatest passions.
In 2004, I proceeded to write down my thoughts and experiences with regard to accessing and recording dreams in real-time. Out of this effort was born "The Dreamism Manifesto", which I published in 2007. During that time, I was also working on the tools and techniques which enable me to draw dreams while in various dream states. The drawing was the hardest part. At the outset, these attempts were mostly failures. Difficulties arose in keeping the dream image in view long enough to draw, all the while maintaining pencil contact with the paper and with my eyes covered in a conscious dream state. Unlike automatic drawing or automatism, in those deeper states you are not able to move even a finger. However, through a combination of innate ability (parasomnia), auto-suggestion and disciplined practice, I overcame the sleep paralysis barrier. This allowed my drawing tool to intuitively follow the contours of the viewed dream image. The pencil to paper contact problem was eventually solved through trial and error and lots of persistence and patience.
Finally in 2008, while lying back on a zero gravity recliner using a binaural-assisted dream induction device and a custom-made finger stylus with wrist-attached drawing paddle, I was able to consistently produce real-time dream drawings more faithful to the viewed dream image than ever before. These images, though small in size, are zen-like in their simplicity and exhibit a raw quality that lacks pretense. I used an intuitive "see and draw" technique to trigger the dream eye to physical hand reflex arc. As a result, I created the first series of dream works -24 drawings enlarged and reproduced as black and white giclees (exception: two have color ) on fine art paper. I named these works - Dreamoids, the art form - Dreamism and the artist - a Dreamist. As I progressed, I found that I could record color using letter notation tags - roygbv for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The last two works of the first generation dreamoids, Mom's Hairpin and Yellow Bird of Truth, reflect this evolution.
As an emerging artist, in early January 2009, I was asked to provide three works for the 2009 Annual Members Exhibition at the Galleries, Salt Creek Artworks, St. Petersburg, FL January 23 - February 28, 2009. Only one work could be guaranteed to show, but the curator was so moved by the uniqueness and provocative nature of this new art form that he exhibited all three in the most prominent location in the Gallery.
Three other dream works were reproduced as postcards and were displayed at the Chromatophore Mail Art Exhibition, Studio 620, St. Petersburg, FL, August 27 - September 5, 2009.
In late September 2009, I was asked to provide three new works for a second Annual Members Exhibition at the Galleries, Salt Creek Artworks, St. Petersburg, FL October 9 - November 14, 2009. Again the three works were chosen and placed in a prominent location of the Gallery using an entire wall length. Two of the works reflect my entry into visualizing colors and using letter notation tags to record these colors.
2010 has brought about the second and third generation of dreamoids. New equipment and techniques have allowed me to travel further and stay longer in the various non-physical realms, record more detail and color and to finally paint a clear light dream.
In 2011, I wrote a book entitled "the dreamist - Drawing While Dreaming" containing thirty-one black & white and color prints of three generations of dreamoids. I also created a fourth generation of dreamoids consisting of much larger works in black & white and color. These dreamoids depict detailed dream scenes, montages, and fragments of dreams.
Well, I am off to take a line for another dreamwalk. With greetings to you from Dreamland - The Dreamist
I owe much to artist-philosopher Frederick Franck, lucid dream scientist Stephen LaBerge, and dream yogi master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. They were my teachers. My other influences come from the world of surrealism and abstract expressionism. Just to mention a few, they are Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Willem deKooning, and Salvador Dali.
If you would like to learn more about the theory, evolution and process of Dreamism, read "The Dreamism Manifesto" by clicking on "Artist Manifesto" in the navigation bar.