Introduction

John creates from his Sunshine Coast (Australia) home studio.

He began his creative career as a window dresser mainly on the east coast of Oz, becoming much sought after by the retail sector. From there moving to hospitality, where his prowess was used in the presentation of functions and banquets for many years.

A pacifist by nature, he travelled to the Middle East and North Africa in the early 1980’s, which stimulated a creative yearning to artisticise on a level out of the established concepts of mainstream movements. It was some time after this trip that John found that his artwork was mentalist by nature.

His working, mostly self taught background in art, brings a quality of rawness to his work seeking out the boundaries of mentalism, with oodles of humour, a social conscience, and environmental awareness.

He works mostly with quick fired ceramics and canvas using oil paints with card and stick.

John and his team are available for consignment, installations, curating, and world wide tours, when time permits.

Art and Mentalism
The where-fors, why-fors and why-the-fuck-nots
(The discussion)

This is a preamble to stimulate a discussion on the merits of all kinds of art and their mentalist connection. New ground is being broken here; we are trying to create something new and stimulating, and that is what art is all about. It’s a matter of synergizing the two elements of art and mentalism!

The Form: Sensuous - Illusionary - Perceptual. The work can be abstract or not in its creation, (preferably abstract) and conveys a sense of intrigue and mystery so as to stimulate thought provoking patterns of perception.

Ancient hieroglyphics can be seen as mentalist communication because they are ever-changing and need to be interpreted and are open to perceptive thought. (Eric Thompson, hieroglyphicist, has said that they are open to interpretation).

It is not magic tricks or mindreading. We are not re-defining art or its integrity. It’s about creating a work that stimulates those parts of the brain that perceive an emotion, and interpret that emotion as seen, felt or heard of the piece. It can most definitely be metaphysical.

Collins Dictionary says: Mentalism n; Philosophy: the doctrine that mind is the fundamental reality and that objects of knowledge exist only as aspects of the subject’s consciousness.

Wikipedia says: Mentalism n; Psychology: the belief that the mind is what truly exists.

John says: The Artists and the new movement push the fundamentals of reality and expression within the conscience and the unconscience, acknowledging the importance of healthy egoism.

Greenslade says: It’s all in the mind, you know.

Ross says: By building abstract works, with symbolism and multi dimensional depth, the artist is able to communicate on a deeper level. Illusion can be created in any art form as part of mentalism whether it is in the perception of the artist or the artee.

Vladimir says: What are you guys? Nutcases? Get it straight – art is art, and mentalism is mentalism! You can go on with all this psycho/meta mumbo-jumbo, philosophizing on this and that, but it doesn’t change the fact that reality is fact. And art is reality!

Sonya says: This is the time for a new abstract movement away from traditional movements.