If you’re like us, then the idea of exploring the depths of the creative mind is something that sparks immense joy and wonder. And Leah Ode Kiser was kind enough to walk us through the steps of her imaginative ideations.
Ruminating over the artistic process, understanding the mindset, and appreciating the significant time investment involved, along with the multifaceted layers from conception to completion, is incredibly inspiring. Of course, we all love to romanticize the studio space where everything is unfurling as effortlessly as a flower on a warm spring day. While that might be true for some, in reality it’s a dynamic environment where inspiration and frustration coexist.
The artist’s journey is a labyrinth of complexities woven through imagination and emotion. From moments of exhilaration when a concept takes shape, to periods of doubt and contemplation, these experiences are crucial components.
Rarely a linear path, consider the countless hours spent brainstorming, sketching, and refining ideas before they even take a tangible form. A process that through many steps towards a vision may only be fully understood by its creator. Join us as we gain insight into the creative process of Leah Ode Kiser.
The process behind the painting “Symbiosis” Written by Leah Ode Kiser
For years, I’ve wanted to paint an orangutan, but no ideas excited me. Then, one day, while contemplating the idea of symbiosis, I imagined a giant green orangutan in the shape of a mountain with tiny people climbing on her. The people had no awareness that there was more to the mountain than they could see.
Here is the sketch:
A few years ago, I had taken a picture of a viny weed growing out of a flowerpot in my backyard. When I thought of the orangutan mountain, I imagined it with vines for fur, and it gave me goosebumps.
I recently contemplated how symbiosis might be a useful idea in cultivating better ways to think about our actions.
The unbalanced state of our current world inspires me to write and think about moral philosophy. It seems like humanity can find a better way forward, we just haven’t found it yet. I recently contemplated how symbiosis might be a useful idea in cultivating better ways to think about our actions. The book “Symbiosis” by Lynn Margulis offers some interesting ideas. In the book, Margulis describes how complex life forms (like plants and animals built from eukaryotic cells) may have been the product of cooperation (on the part of our cellular organelles) in the face of existential threats. Evolution isn’t simply “survival of the fittest” in her view. It is also survival of the cooperative.
In this painting, everyone appears to be thriving; it is a dreamlike utopian idea. But it could just as easily turn into a different experience…
In this painting, a contemplative, peaceful, and nurturing mother orangutan poses as a reminder of symbiosis. Mother orangutans keep their children with them for seven years, and teach them about tools and various plants they use for food and medicine – they teach their young how to be cooperative members of their habitat. I liked the idea that this nurturing mother orangutan mountain offers to the people in her midst everything she can, while she asks for nothing in return.
In this painting, everyone appears to be thriving; it is a dreamlike utopian idea. But it could just as easily turn into a different experience for this culture depending upon what they decide to attend to and how they decide to treat one another and her – everyone is dependent upon a balance of attention and desire for thriving: attention to her (the environment’s) thriving, and their (community’s) thriving, and their own (personal) thriving– a balance between these priorities must be struck for all to live well together – for a successful symbiotic relationship to continue. This message felt important for humanity to attend to, so I set about making the painting.
I begin by finding visual references like photographs or objects that bring the realist elements into the final painting and help me visualize what the end product will look like.
For this painting, it was important to find a picture of a loving orangutan mother. I found a video of an orangutan mother with her babies, and stopped the video at points where she was posing in the perfect position: looking down lovingly at her baby. In the painting, I removed the baby, and placed a life giving waterfall in its place.
Getting back to the process of creation – after I had all of my visual references. I did a full sized charcoal drawing of the orangutan and the area down below where the village would be. At this point, I began making little cave dwellings for the people to live in. It added a little more wonder to the composition, and it reminded me of the cave dwellings built centuries ago by Native Americans in the area where I live.
Then I transferred the sketch onto the canvas and did an underpainting to figure out the values for the figure. I was especially excited about the way the hands turned out.
Then I set about painting the face, and the vines for fur. It took a long time to get the vines to look the way I wanted them to. I ultimately went with a wet into wet painting technique for that portion of the painting.
Once I completed the orangutan (a process that took longer than a month), I focused in on the little civilization below. I also added some little figures that were especially important to me: my kids and my mom are playing in the sand on the beach.
Then, for fun, I hid some tiny animals in the jungle. I also added some tiny humans climbing on the hands of the orangutan. Since that is where she is looking so lovingly, it made sense to add them there.
I’ve decided to make this painting into a larger triptych. You can watch it come to life by following my work on Instagram @artifactfineart, or by signing up for my mailing list at www.artifactfa.com. You can also read my philosophical work on medium.com.
