Paths and Loops
Automatic Drawings by John F. Simon, Jr. at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum
Each morning, John F. Simon, Jr., draws a picture. He considers the practice meditative, and for the past twenty years, this series—called Divination Drawings—has let the artist know himself far better than he had before. His explorations of instantaneous creativity and interpretational discovery are investigated in the Hilliard University Art Museum’s new exhibition, Paths and Loops: Automatic Drawings by John F. Simon Jr.
Simon’s Divination Drawings do not come from long periods of concentrated exertion, from trying to transmit a message onto a medium, or even from any single coherent idea. And yet, his artistic philosophy remains deeply and intrinsically rooted in the connection between meaning and creation.
The artist—rather than communicating meaning through his work—uses these automatic drawings to lead him in the search for meaning. His subconscious leads the way, improvising and watching images come to life as he follows his inner intuitions and sensations. He shares his daily work through his website iclock.com. Each hand drawing is accompanied by Simon’s reading of the messages and symbols he sees once a work is complete.
“There’s a drive as an artist to do creative work, but then when you develop art as a practice, it flows and take you away from your thoughts to this meditative state,” says Simon. “The images are often surprising, revealing things I didn’t realize I was thinking about.”
Paths and Loops presents selections from Simon’s Divination Drawings, as well as a series of more dimensional, intentional works that have been adapted from these automatic sketches. Such projects result from persistent images Simon discovers cycling through his daily drawings, and can take the form of software art, sculptural paintings created with CNC routers, and other materials ranging from wood to HDU to linoleum.
A Louisiana born artist, Simon currently has work included in permanent collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, The Phillips Collection, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and others.
If you are curious about exploring your own unconscious creative potential, don’t miss the chance to learn from Simon himself, who will share exercises from his book Drawing Your Own Path: 33 Practices at the Crossroads of Art and Meditation at a drawing and mindfulness workshop from 6 pm–7:30 pm on June 12. Tickets will be available for purchase the day of the workshop or over the phone for $15, with a discount for Museum members.
The exhibit will be on display from June 8 to November 16, 2019, with an opening reception on June 14. Visit hilliardmuseum.org for more information on the exhibit and related programming, numeral.com to see more of Simon’s work, iclock.com to explore his Divination Drawings, or drawingyourownpath.com to learn more about meditation for artists.