Friday, July 24, 2009

paul laffoley


paul laffoley's work is the nexus point of an extraordinary confluence of thought and craft and if you look really carefully you'll almost certainly find evidence of most of the academic and artistic disciplines symbolically embedded in its labyrinthine forms.

paul's approach to his work is based on extensive hand written journals in which he documents his research, diagrams, and various theoretical developments. he has organized his work into three sub-groupings: "operating systems, psychotronic devices and lucid dreams".

while inherently decorative in the way that artwork depicting technology can be, paul's work compels the viewer to dig deep below the surface to consider the reasoning behind the presence and juxtaposition of his work's many symbolic components. among other things, you'll notice that his work is organized in a format that is visually related to mandalas. as with mandalas, each piece is integrated into a whole, but carries its own symbolic weight.

it might not surprise you to learn that each canvas can take one to three years to paint and code.

take for example the orgone machine.
(click on the image to enlarge it)


paul very generously supplies background information, as well as a symbolic interpretation of the key element of the graphic.

to view more of his work, and to buy copies of his work then visit his page at the kent gallery.

8 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

I have never heard of this man, steven, nor have I seen any of his work - it looks so intricate.
I hope you will join in my Inspiration day next Wednesday.(see my today's blog)

steven said...

hello weaver . . . i had heard of him before i wrote this piece but he's not a household word. i like his artwork for the detail and the reserach and especially for the fact that it's like the next step beyond technical illustrations because it deals with the relationship between so many facets of life. i'll nip over to your blog to see what's up with insipiration day!! have a lovely evening. steven

Butternut Squash said...

I have not heard of paul laffoley before. His artwork and descriptions are extraordinary. It reminds me of some of the really intricate scientific dreams that I have had. When I woke up and tried to write them down, I couldn't understand them any more.

steven said...

hello butternut, you have scientific dreams?! that's intriguing. i wish that once dreams "surface" they were easier to retain. i believe that there's so much we can learn from them. have a peaceful day. steven

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Steven - thank you for introducing me to Paul Laffoley - what intricate, complex work. How wonderful he found a way to translate all of that into artwork.

I so agree with Butternut about having amazing dreams that seem to evaporate with consciousness. How much has the world lost that way?

Have a good weekend Steven.

steven said...

hi bonnie - he's a really interesting guy and his art's pretty intriguing as well.! as i mentioned in my reply to butternut, i sure wish that dreams were easier to remember. i have a handful of dreams that have stayed in my memory through my entire life but i know i dream every night. so where'd they all go?!!!! have a peaceful evening. steven

Alexandra MacVean said...

Steven...I have not heard of this gentleman. Thank you for sharing. I plan to check more of him out. Happy Friday!

Alexandra MacVean said...

Steven...I have not heard of this gentleman. Thank you for sharing. I plan to check more of him out. Happy Friday!