I am interested in the darker
side of human nature.

Statement:

Cerebral Sanctum refers to the sanctuary of innermost thought, perhaps so deeply reflective that it is not permitted to actually share this information or to negotiate that with anyone.  This for fear of corrupting my own pure subconscious thoughts.

The nature of creativity in my practice is based upon the strength and triumph of the human spirit out of tragedy.
It is typical for many artists to harmonize with beauty and spirituality but in my practice I am interested in the darker side of human nature.

Perhaps using the principles of Rwa Benida, I observe in Balinese culture good and evil.  I observe this in my own culture but in particular I am inspired by the additional aspects of afterlife and Karma associated with Balinese beliefs.  This is something I am not accustomed to in my own culture.

Never more is this apparent than the Kertha Gosa where depictions of crime and punishment illustrate the extremities of good and evil.
Kertha Gosa illustrates Ramayana stories in Kamasan style, the stories depict not only crime and punishment, they also depict the afterlife.  The stories that I illustrate in Cerebral Sanctum II are based on crime and punishment, on good and evil and life and death.

In the production of my paintings and graphic works I typically use information that I do not fully understand, another language.  I do this for my mind to subconsciously respond to without actually understanding meaning.  I do not understand human nature and do not seek to scientifically analyze why people make crimes.  I am simply fascinated by it. Typically the language I chose will be anatomical and mathematical.  These two languages have a visual and practical component.  My response to the visual is always satisfying without understanding the actual meaning. 

In the Cerebral Sanctum ii graphic project I am interested to work from photographs and other graphic information about Kamasan and Kulit imagery to create a similar abstract layer upon which I will present my ideas.

I dont wish to appropriate the under imagery for meaning, I wish to acknowledge it for its beauty and for its inspiration for my intuitive response.  I hope to eventually depict a series of works based on afterlife.  This is my greatest inspiration from the Kamasan paintings at Kertha Gosa.

Paul Trinidad

12 10 2012

The process of tone in aquatint is step by step, gradually painting areas with liquid asphaltum. As the asphaltum dries the plate is re-immersed in acid to produce gradually darker and darker tones,

After etching, the image is finaly worked by scraping (erasing) and burnishing (polishing)

The print is a mirror image of the plate.

Each plate is physically worked in accordance to the final effect of tone and light.

Preliminary sketch

Sketches flow from previous ideas and stories that are retold in my mind

The Nitric acid creates its own dimension to the quality of the drawing / painting process

Proofing the plates. After the acid etch the plates are worked literally as drawings on metal, burnishing (erasing) and engraving (adding) finishing details

Assembling the folio boxes. Each box is laser engraved and will contain 18 aquatints