Page 123 - Jessica K Ballantyne Studio Zine 2020

Animal in Me

or many years I’ve been inspired by Rorschach’s inkblots, making them on paper, canvas and inkblot workshops to the customers and we explored the diverse imagery that came up for participants be-
even on long strips of wall paper. They hold a special joy, an immediacy and mystery that I’ve fore I demonstrated how to bring out their visions with paint using layers. It was a lovely few days and this
Fnever really been able to explain but that most people get as soon as they make a few themselves was the first time the general public was introduced to the Animal in Me series and got the chance to make
or spend some time looking at them. It’s highly addictive! It’s a very human trait to see faces and forms their own with my guidance.
in abstract shapes and patterns- this phenomenon is called ‘pareidolia’. When I look at inkblots I’m
transported to a magical fantasy world with surreal animals, strange figures and forms shifting and ooking back at this event, I see now that it formed the basis for the project that would become
changing as my eyes traverse the surface. The Animal in Me series began when I did indeed feel as if I Animal in You, where I worked directly with individuals to create artworks that combine their inner
was being taken over by an animal kind of force. Lworld with the inkblots. Creating the first layers of inkblots is completely random and highly subjec-
tive, no two people will see or make the exact same thing in the exact same way. Your inkblot is your own
any of these paintings were an attempt to calm my mind and encourage a meditative state, unique mark. And what you see is a function of your brains processing power, an amalgamation of your
which really worked, as do most creative activities as I’m sure you’ve experienced. The thoughts, conditioning and life experiences. I find it endlessly fascinating. Jungian symbology also comes
Mautomatic nature of the subject matter, the fact that you don’t need to think about composi- into play here. Certain “archetypes” or common themes often appear in the blots. For me, it’s goats and eyes,
tion, frees up your mind and you can feel your awareness expand past disruptive thoughts, which seem animal forms and horns. Lots of horns. I feel a sense of wonder whilst bringing out the forms in the inkblots
to be the cause of most of the mischief and suffering. In 2019 I was invited by Greatart to do a residency with my oil paints. I feel a thrill every time I see a new set of eyes, glaring or peeking at me, or a new animal
in their flagship store in London- a wonderful location to get my hands (and their floor!) dirty. I offered I haven’t used before.

Warrior Wasp Warrior Wolf
Acrylic on raw canvas (unstretched)
Acrylic on raw canvas (unstretched)
Size: 59x59cm Size:59x59cm
#83 #84

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