Weaponizing Valentine's Day: Harnessing the Power of Authentic Love
Today, as the world celebrates Valentine's Day with chocolates, flowers, and romantic gestures, I'm here to propose a different kind of celebration—a celebration of the most potent weapon we have against the pervasive nihilism that threatens to engulf us: authentic love.
In my artistic journey, I've embarked on a quest to recreate the fusion of love, eudaemonia, and technical innovation.
My vision for a major work can be inspired by a desire, a vision, a dream, an intellectual thought, or a wish to solve a new technical problem—but whatever the catalyst is, it must work with the other elements to attempt sublimity.
The ultimate goal is not to communicate but to bring into existence a moment of love for love, oneself, and the universe. The "it" experience that makes living worthwhile.
Eudaemonia is Aristotle's term for achieving happiness by living the absolutely best one can, and once in a while stopping time to consciously embrace these special moments as ends in themselves, i.e., moments that make life worth living. These moments are the themes of my art.
This vision will prove to be a great antidote to the postmodern nihilistic pandemic fueled by CIA's hatred of humanity, pathetic pseudo-intellectuals, con artists, and angry twits.
Nihilists will scoff at such concepts as happy endings, but here is the real scoop. Recreating the best of the best moments in life through art is a superhuman achievement, requiring: a noble soul; ruthless, exacting intellectual detective work; an extraordinarily sensitive and scientific perceptive network integrating minute light vibrations; a celebration of humanity; and, lastly, a down-and-dirty passion for life that will never give up and won't quit until death takes out that option.
Love—love of life, existence, joy, friends, romance, and art—inspires us to evolve, innovate, care, and strive for our best. In essence, it encapsulates the essence of living eudaemonia.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Newberry, Adam and Eve
Newberry, Arabesque Series: Heterosexual Couple
Newberry, Arabesque Series: Female Couple
Newberry, Arabesque Series: Male Couple
Newberry, Pursuit
Newberry, Denouement
Newberry, The Kiss, with yours truly.
Newberry, Space Series: Muses 2
Newberry, Space Series: Creation
Wow. Sublime.
Aside from the warm glow of beauty and light radiating outward from each painting, there is no doubt that you so skilfully captured and portrayed the LOVE being created, shared, felt and known by your subjects. It's beyond me how you did it, but it's not beyond me to perceive it. Thank you for providing the antidote to chaos in your art, Michael.
When the creative energy and passion to create drains from us like that, I feel a different kind of co-creation is occurring and I know now, that I am about to learn something different and new out of the chaotic energy that surfaces deep inside. It is the energies of many in the outer world and I am separated from my own frequency until I pop out the other end into a wonderful creative space that blooms as a beautiful shape I have never created with before.