This blog is a division of the CODEX ISOM a complete guide to the collected works and writings of Ronald D. Isom, art educator and artist. A study of the heart, soul and mind. Creating esoteric connections to the universe. Without symbols our lives would be as spiritually impoverished as sleep without dreams.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Monday, March 7, 2022
Hidden knowledge.
Don't count your chickens.
"People who count their chickens before they are hatched act very wisely because chickens run about so absurdly that it is impossible to count them accurately." - Oscar Wilde. |
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The desire for repetition and order, forms an inherent part of my psyche. My recent work considers the creative application of repetitive processes, motifs and meticulous order. I am exploring and trying to understand why I am drawn to repeated, ritualized actions and to motifs which have become increasingly more obsessive.
“The creative habit is like a drug. The particular obsession changes, but the excitement, the thrill of your creation lasts.”(Henry Moore)
Monday, January 17, 2022
Natural world
My interest, at either end of this spectrum of this reality, continues to feed my imagination.
Dans l'air fermée...and innocent parody.
Plein air painting seems to be the “ art du jour”. Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein air, which literally means 'in the open air'. It's a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary. However, it is not quite so revolutionary today.
My art is called “studio art” which is art produce in a studio setting. Studio art is not revolutionary today and it is a quaint reminder of an artist in his cluttered studio, lined with plaster busts and manikin models to help him in his academic studies.
I decided to describe my work as Dans l'air fermĂ©e. Dans l'air fermĂ©e is a French expression which means "in the closed air" and it is used to describe the act of painting/ drawing indoors. which is also called La peinture avec l'esprit ("painting with the mind” or what the minds’s eye actually sees”) This type of art, generally does not require a classical studio, photographs, copy devises etc. All you need is a computer, a few sharpies and the desire to draw objects, symbols and images from the subconscious mind.
Isom Symbolic Art prints
Prints of art work posted on this blog are available for purchase. Please email if you are interested.
The prints offered for sale are printed on a HP Envy 5420 in house on 8-1/2” X 11” paper. For all practical purposes the prints are artist proof’s and printed in limited numbers. The prints are not archival prints but printed on good quality bond or photographic paper. The prints are signed/dated and make my work available to a wider audience and serve as an introduction to my work.
What is important to note is that the artist proof prints are of the same quality, type, media etc as the regular edition (unless of course the artist declares otherwise). The only difference between them is the restricted quantity of prints bearing the A/P designation. Traditionally, the artist was very involved in the printmaking process. As the first “proofs” were either pulled or printed, the artist would work out the color and quality issues as they came out of the press.
Note: Signed and numbered digital prints on archival paper are available at my gallery. They are generally printed in editions of ten.
Definition:
Modern printing methods such as laser and ink-jet printing are known as digital printing. In digital printing, an image is sent directly to the printer using digital files such as PDFs and those from graphics software such as Illustrator and InDesign. This eliminates the need for a printing plate, which is used in offset printing, which can save money and time.
Without the need to create a plate, digital printing has brought about fast turnaround times and printing on demand.
Instead of having to print large, pre-determined runs, requests can be made for as little as one print. While traditional printing techniques result in slightly better quality prints, digital methods are being worked on at a fast rate to improve quality and lower costs.
Sunday, January 16, 2022
Earth poem
The Isom Asemic Code Cipher is a cryptogram code system. This form of cipher embodies geometric and organic shapes. Because it use basic shapes it is an economical and effective method of transmitting confidential information. These devices were often employed by the ancients or by the Medieval philosophers and alchemists. The mystics of the Middle Ages used a system of cryptography which concealed the secrets of the human soul. The Isom Asemic Code Cipher can only be decoded by individuals versed in the deep philosophic principles upon which many mystics based their theories of life. Much information relating to the invisible nature of man is hidden under what seems to be mere scribbles and unrecognizable organic shapes. Every student of symbolism and philosophy should be acquainted with the underlying principles of cryptography. This art furnishes a fascinating method of developing an acute mental awareness. Discrimination and observation are indispensable to the person seeking knowledge, and no study is equal to cryptography as a means of invigorating these powers
Atemporality
Today’s Hand Mind Internet Vocabulary: Atemporality
“The concept of internet-induced "atemporality" was coined by science fiction writer William Gibson, author of the cyber/adventure novel Neuromancer. Gibson reasoned that the internet made time disappear in a way, since all periods of history (or art history) are immediately available to anyone cruising the web.”
Saturday, December 11, 2021
New work
I turned 82 this year and keeping track of my daily drawings is somewhat problematic.
Saturday, January 23, 2021
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Codex Isom negative images.
Ma is a Japanese word which can be roughly translated as "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts." The spatial ideais experienced progressively through intervals of spatial designation. In Japanese, ma, the word for space, suggests interval. It is best described as a consciousness of place, not in the sense of an enclosed three-dimensional entity, but rather the simultaneous awareness of form and non-form deriving from an intensification of vision.
Ma is not something that is created by compositional elements; it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements. Therefore ma can be defined as experiential place understood with emphasis on interval.
Marshall McLuhan described Ma as: “the complex network of relationships between people and objects.
Thirty spokes meet in the hub,
but the empty space between them
is the essence of the wheel.
Pots are formed from clay,
but the empty space between it
is the essence of the pot.
Walls with windows and doors form the house,
but the empty space within it
is the essence of the house.
Lao Tse
CODEX ISOM digital images. #asemic #isomsymbolicart #codexisom#symbolism#ronaldisomart "Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr. |