The Mysterious Landscape of the Mind depicted in My Surreal Drawings

The dark and mysterious caverns within the mind lead us on a scientific journey that always reveals a new treasure or wonder that we stumble onto. With the addition of new technology and cutting edge mental practices our exploration has been more revealing and our findings become ever more interesting and promising. This complex and splendid terrain within our mind has been compartmentalized in many ways and has been labeled such things as the subconscious, conscious, and unconscious realms of this smooth, bumpy, and unknown landscape. The bridge between our mind and the structure of the universe and life here on earth is a connection that could lead to humanity tapping into unknown reserves of mental powers. This inspiring notion has also been the catalyst for various depictions of this unknown world and its connection to the scientific laws of the universe in many mediums. Many artists have challenged this notion and set out to visually explore this connection and the inner mind, both on personal level and universal level, in their approach to their style of art in whatever medium they choose. I personally find this vast landscape to be a worthwhile journey into the deepest caverns of our mind and through my own psychological terrain and the familiar mountains of known study of the human mind, I wanted to reveal some facets of this amazing and powerful source of infinite potential in visual form.

With that in mind, I have compiled a collection of dynamic, surreal, and symbolic drawings using my analytical and surreal approach in an attempt to reveal some fascinating worlds that I have created from the various scientific, biological, and psychological studies. I wanted to combine my personal journey through my own internal structure that has been sculpted over the years from my own experiences and fuse that with humanities universal knowledge of this mysterious world to create twelve colorful works of art. I approach these questions by asking what the link is between the capability of the mind and our forward progression here on earth both in industry and in the materialized world. I have featured a few examples of the end result of my visual exploration within this article to give you an idea of the various angles in which I approached this collection. Each angle was viewed with a different point of view and unique idea in mind so the journey could be explored on many avenues as opposed to just one road.

The first example at the top of this page, "The Ripening of a Lucid Psyche", explores the relationship between the beauty, poetry, and subtle forces of nature and the link to high creativity within the mind of humanity. I wanted to fuse both worlds and did so by representing the heads as flower pot structures where the beauty and majesty of nature would grow and sprout. The second example, "Supererogatory Cognizance", explores the invisible scientific properties of energy transference between a crowd of people and between a few people. Within this work, each face has a unique personality yet all our tied and fused together by the collective energy of their minds and the activity on a supernatural level between the force within their minds and the harmonic structure of the universe. The third example on the left, "The Esoteric Force of Molecular Mentality", explores the molecular and biological power of the mind and this hidden source of infinite growth within all of us. I decided on shell like heads to open and create repetitive effects that symbolize this collective consciousness that we all share and that tie us all together on earth. The orbs of light within these heads represent the seeds of this unknown collective power that will soon grow and plant themselves among us all to sprout and eventually fill our souls and minds.

I hope you enjoyed this drawing collection based on the mind.
Justin

The Compelling Dynamic of the Human Body in Relation to Life and the Universe

About five years ago i set sail on a voyage through the deepest caverns of the human body and plunged forward into a world of immense mechanical construction through late night study in my home studio and laboratory/office. The forms, shapes, and various parts of the human body and anatomical structure that i began to discover on my voyage began to remind me of various structures we see in everyday life. I began to clearly see this connection between the human body and how it works like a machine and its connection with the complex interactions and workings of life on earth. Even before this journey , i planned my study around the ultimate goal of achieving a collection of anatomical drawings that represented the amazing complexity of the human anatomy and body in relation to our life. I knew this would take me deep into the mysterious corridors of the body and every detail would have to be considered. These small intricate details that possess the human body would eventually lead me through many doors and vivid insights and correlations that would shape the nucleus of my drawing collection using human anatomy but ultimately incorporate the human body and life in unison.

"Accommodating the Inner Facade"
 Justin Michael Jenkins

When i started the collection of twelve anatomical drawings in color after intense study of the human body, i began to immediately fuse objectivity with the internal structure creating mirrored illusions of what are made up of with what me actually create from our finished product as human beings. In "Accommodating the Inner Facade" (shown left), I created a room from the inner structure of the human head and skull along with tendons and muscle. The actual inner and outer parts of the head become an invitation to reside among it as a way of connecting the outside world. I wanted to elevate the human body out of the realm of the obvious distaste we sometimes have for our own tendons, muscles, veins, etc., and see this glorious creation as a mechanical masterpiece that relates to the outside world. If we turn our bodies inside out and study the entire process of how it functions, we would find a lot of the various parts and cellular structures have a certain resemblance to life and the objects around us. I wanted to reflect this connection in my surreal interpretations using bold color and symbolisms. 

My Anatomy Art Drawing Collection is my visual answer to the beauty and intrigue of the human body and the masterpiece our creator designed and its overall relationship with the bigger picture and dynamic of the universe and life. More importantly, the way the human body regenerates and adapts to certain circumstances both on the outside and inside leaves me bewildered and amazed. We all need to appreciate our brains, heart, lungs, and every organ right down to the cells that keep us alive and moving. In the end, i hope everyone appreciates the amazing beauty we possess within us and hopefully as a collective whole we can learn to use the bodies complex inner mechanics and somehow incorporate that into our daily life and life on earth.

Justin

Stay True to your Own Unique Path and Style.

"The Anatomization of the Laws of Chess" from my
Chess Art Drawing Collection.

Nothing important in this world ever took shape without a little risk involved. The same holds true for an artist who searches deep within and explores the heights of their personal visions. However risky and crazy these visions may be to the outside world, no worthwhile and innovative break through has taken place without someone taking a complete nose dive off the cliff of what is considered normal and plunging head first into a deep ocean of unknown ground and darkness. If they survive, they will have a great story to tell and the inspiration and courage gained from it is priceless. When I sit down to create a work of art, the thought of creating work for someone else rather than my own unique vision of the world never crosses my mind. I have never considered compromising my artistic integrity for the sake of what could be more popular or what could be considered the "trend" of the day. I believe if you stick to your style and remain true to yourself, the rewards will far outweigh the risks!

If we look at past artist's who have struggled to make a big difference in terms of their art surviving the test of time, a consistent trend seems to be these figures in art stayed the course with their approach, even in the face of critical adversity, whether friendly or worldly. Some examples that pop into my mind are Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, where at the time, his approach was considered radical to a degree and the immense complexity of color and forms dancing around the ceiling made way for one of the most influential works of art ever created. I also recall the struggle Pissaro went through (and the impressionists), where his pointillist technique never caught any attention at first, even though he had children to feed and became poor for a while, he sacrificed because he believed in himself and his vision so much (some to this day still are in criticism of the way he handled that with children - i will share my opinion at a later time). His technique and paintings, after years of struggle and enduring poverty, finally became an overnight sensation and he was rewarded with financial freedom and security beyond his imagination.

The moral of this story, in my opinion, is that the norms of society will gravitate their opinions toward that center nucleus based on what they have perceived through mass marketing channels and through their own sense of understanding. A majority of people (this may be changing now) share the same core ideas of what is considered normal and acceptable and these beliefs tend to shape our reaction to certain styles and approaches by various artists and in every industry. Easily recognizable objects will always take precedence over abstract forms by the majority due to the fact that our senses have been socially and biologically constructed over the course of evolution to gravitate towards these recognized forms and it pleases our senses much more easily. Abstract forms that are broken down into dynamic reflections of the underlying scientific properties challenges people on much deeper levels and for those who aren't the cerebral types, this could be the end of a new beginning in their search for the truth.

One of my abstract drawings compared to my equine portrait drawing.

Whether you are an artist who loves landscapes and portraits, or an artist who likes a more surreal or abstract bend to reality, both approaches have concrete messages and challenge us on different sensory levels. The common denominator for all artists is the emotion and intuitive feeling we all put into our creation, regardless if its recognizable or not. But in the end, are you challenging yourself enough to break free of the limitations and demands of society and peers to create work that speaks to your vision or work that meets you halfway between what is expected and what you expect. We all have something unique to offer as creative beings, so why not explore your own independent way of thinking and seeing the world without worrying about what others will think or say. Set yourself free of those limitations and you will find a world inside you screaming to swim around in the darkest confines of your imagination. Let your mind, spirit, and soul take that plunge from the cliff of expectations and plunge into the unknown. Go to the deepest levels of your ability until you there is no more room to swim around. Just remember, the ocean is vast and exploring even the darkest areas of your imagination could take a lifetime. Have fun on your journey and I hope you find the heights of inspiration.

Justin ~~~