Animal in You: Tell me what you see in your inkblot

About

I am looking for lovers of art and the human mind to collaborate with me to produce a series of 60 oil paintings (35x35cm) guided by your interpretation of an inkblot and inspired by what you see within the shapes and forms of the paint. Animal in You is a Kickstarter crowd funding project that will only come to fruition if fully funded.

I'll invite you to gaze at an inkblot and tell me what pops into your head (I promise I won't psycho-analyse you, unless you want me to that is!). Once you let me know what you see, I'll get to work on a painting just for you :)

The painting will be created on raw, unstretched canvas. I love the sandy colour of raw canvas. It has a lovely feel and texture and as such is the perfect medium for bringing the inkblot to life.

Your Animal in You painting will be one of a kind with you in mind. Influenced by surrealist techniques and klecksography (creating images out of inkblots) Animal in You explores and celebrates animal symbolism and the subconscious mind.

If I reach my goal

You will be invited to a virtual, solo exhibition and live stream of Animal in You. Your painting will be among the surreal menagerie of artworks on display in a dreamy, interactive, virtual environment. I plan to take the experience even further by creating a memorable book of the inkblot paintings which will include animal archetypes, quotes from participants and potentially, from a qualified therapist or psychologist.

How it Works

*1. You will receive a picture (via email) of an inkblot which has been made on raw, unstretched canvas .

*2. We will have a conversation about what you see (via email or skype) and I'll use your vision to develop a digital collage as a plan for the painting (If you would prefer not to chat about what you see, you can leave it up to me to create a unique original Animal in You painting with you in mind.)

*3. I’ll use the digital collage as inspiration to develop the canvas inkblot with layers of oil paint.

*4. I’ll need approximately 5 months of full time dedication to make this project a success. I plan on including (and paying) other creatives as much as possible to help with things like the book and the Animal in You virtual exhibition.

The Animal in You Virtual Exhibition 

I plan on working with creatives to build a surreal, dreamy virtual gallery space, which will be accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The goal is to exhibit the paintings online but also to create an alternative gallery space unlike anything you have seen before. Think mood lighting, chaise longues and surprising objects inhabiting the exhibition space.

The beauty of creating a virtual gallery is that the limits that exist in real time and space do not apply in the virtual world, which leaves a lot of room for an imaginative environment that suits themes of the unconscious and dreams. The online gallery will be interactive (meaning you can move around the virtual space using your keyboard or phone, much like a game).

I'm very excited to work with other creatives on this aspect of the Animal in You project.