10 Questions with Lewis Deeney

Scottish-born; Lewis grew up in Dumbarton before moving to Dundee to pursue a contemporary art degree in which he graduated with a first-class honour in 2020, during which Lewis won two awards as well as being selected for the Freeland’s Painting Prize. After being awarded the William S Phillips award, Lewis continued his studies at DJCAD, graduating with merit in MFA Art & Humanities in 2021. Within one year of graduating, Lewis has had two solo shows in Scotland, and his paintings have been collected by public institutions and private collectors across the UK & Europe.

www.lewisdeeney.co.uk | @lewisdeeney

Emergence Collection | Project Description

The thread is meditatively layered upon the painted surface. Through mindful repetitive layering, complex patterns emerge and pockets of order disperse across the canvas. The emergent order created by the thread is contrasted with the expressive application of paint: creating transcendent paintings with an iridescent glow as Deeney’s bold use of colour shimmers upon the highly textured surface.

The work is a meditation on emergence, exploring a new cosmic narrative of a self-organising universe waking up to understand itself. Simple interactions create emergent complexity. There is a purpose to the complexity as it is what allows life to exist, evolve, and flourish; there is a purpose to humanity as we bring meaning, order, and experience into existence.

From the interactions of neurons that our mind emerges out of; to the spiralling of planets that compose galaxies, the tiny atoms that create cells, the cells that make an organism, and the organism which creates civilisations: order and complexity emerge at many levels. This collection of works explores the emergence and abstracts the concept away from reality, portraying the essence of emergence without direct association to the world. Over time the work evolves, becoming increasingly complex, the painting is an emergence of itself.

Complexity of the Simple, acrylic metallic pigment, spray paint varnish, thread & drawing pins on canvas, 40x50 cm, 2022 © Lewis Deeney

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Could you tell us more about your background and how you began making art?

I was always a creative child, not overly artistic, but I loved lego. However, I wasn't that big a fan of following the instructions, and I liked building whatever my imagination would allow. It wasn't until my fifth year of high school when I chose art as one of my subjects, a bit of an impulsive move as I hadn't done it before, however, turns out I was quite good at it and got an A, then an advanced higher A the following year and by this point I knew I wanted to pursue art, just not sure what area.
I began a tattoo apprenticeship after school but again, I found the rules restricting and wanted to create for my own sake. That's when I decided to go to art school at 21. The freedom of abstract painting resonated with me, and I've been exploring it passionately ever since. The 'piecing together' approach of creating lego must've unconsciously stuck with me because my first collection of successful works used a laser cutter to cut my abstract paintings into geometric shapes, which I would then recombine or 'piece' back together. This happened in my third year of art school, so approximately fours year ago, this process of working and the paintings created ignited a passion inside me and a belief in myself that art was my purpose in life, and I have pursued it intensely ever since.

How would you define yourself as an artist? And what makes you unique?

I like to think of myself, and all of humanity, as the inheritor of a long lineage of art making and, more specifically in this context, abstract painting: both from the western canon that we currently call contemporary art, however, its origins date back thousands of years, and also from the various cultures across different times and places using art as a form of spiritual practice.
I believe my art is a combination of both, embodying the spiritual and conceptual, paying homage to the contemporary art world and the spiritual art of our ancestors. My work often explores the mandala, a geometric symbols symmetrically radiating outwards from a central point, often misunderstood today as a symbol of 60's counter-culture or Eastern religions. Despite being significant to both of these, its importance transcendences them as it has been used across the globe in various cultures across time and space, both East & West. A universal symbol, it has been used as a form of meditation in both observation and creation, to connect us to our inner self and the world as a whole, and to see their interconnectivity.
In my unique approach, the mandala is combined with abstract expressionist painting, initially by laser cutting the image out of the painted surface. When using the laser cut, I replied to the question that haunted abstract expressionism, 'what comes next after complete abstraction?" For me, it was to cut it up and recombine it. And currently, it is to wrap the abstract painting in a geometric web through the meditative layering of thread, allowing an asymmetric mandala structure to emerge from the process.
I believe art plays a vital role in our understanding of ourselves, our soul, the world, and the connections between them. My practice is unique in terms of process, philosophy, and outcome, asking big metaphysical questions and providing an immersive world of colour, texture, and geometry in which to contemplate them. Aesthetically the work is novel yet is an evident evolution of what came before, both from the contemporary art world and the spiritual art of our past.

Rivers In The Sky, acrylic metallic pigment, spray paint varnish, thread & drawing pins on canvas, 40x50 cm, 2022 © Lewis Deeney

Rivers In The Sky (detail), 2022 © Lewis Deeney

You work with different techniques and recently created a new series that incorporates threads onto your canvases, the Emergence Collection. Can you guide us through your creative process?

Yes, I am very process-led, which is often the geometric component of my work. In The Emergence Collection, I meditatively layer thread over the canvas, immersed between layers of paint. I paint horizontally and often fluidly. Thread is applied, painted over, more thread, more paint, until the painting begins to reveal itself to me. I do not like to begin with too much of a preconceived idea of where the painting will go but allow the process to guide me.
Each painting probably has thousands of layers of thread over it, of different colours and thickness. At times, I like to use metallic thread as it shimmers under the light: appearing and disappearing depending upon your position. Each layer of thread is insignificant by itself, a simple act, but over time as more thread is applied, patterns start to form, and pockets of energy begin to emerge across the canvas, forms start to create themselves, and order begins to emerge out of the chaotic layering of thread. This is the reason behind the collection's title "Emergence," as a higher order complexity emerges out of the connections between the thread, becoming more than the sum of their parts, the painting is essentially an emergence of itself.

How did you come up with the idea of using threads? And how is it helping you express the concept behind the series?

While working on another series of work, I decided to also buy some canvas(I usually paint on board) with the intention to start a new side project, but I didn't know what that would be yet. I was then putting fittings on the back of a painting and attaching the D hooks with string, a tedious process I often get distracted doing such as here. I began playing about, seeing what else I could do with it, and began layering it over the canvas. At first, it did not look good, but I could see beyond that and could see the potential of the process, and it excited me. That night my mind was like a waterfall of ideas, what it could become, what it meant and how I could evolve the project. Very quickly it became my predominant focus.
The concept and process are a bit of a chicken and egg problem, they both inform each other, and the more I develop the process, the more clarity I get on the concept and vice versa. I was reading The Romance Of Reality by Bobby Azzarian at the time, which outlines a new scientific paradigm of a self-organising universe, that, through emergence, becomes increasingly complex, becoming more than the sum of its parts. From the interactions of neurons that our mind emerges from; to the spiralling of planets that compose galaxies, the tiny atoms that create cells; the cells that make organisms, and the organisms that create civilisations, order and complexity emerge at many levels. Challenging the materialist idea of life being a 'cosmic accident,' the ethos of the book is summed up by a quote from Carl Sagan, "we are a way for the cosmos to know itself." Our human consciousness has a role to play in this cosmic dance of awakening. The book resonated with me and expanded upon, and gave me a scientific understanding of many ideas I was previously exploring.
I often paint in the afternoon and read in the morning, the ideas I read about are processed in my mind while painting and often, when relevant, get integrated into the meaning of the work. The simplicity of thread makes it a perfect medium to express emergence and the divine significance of our everyday experience. An everyday object used in a unique way forms a complex work of art with a deep philosophical concept. The 'commonness' of thread symbolically shows us the 'commonness' of emergence: everything is a form of emergence when we choose to notice it.

When creating your art, do you have a role model or an artist you particularly look up to?

I have many role models, but during the creative process, I try to clear my mind of them and myself in an effort to express the uniqueness of my connection with creativity. I believe that creativity flows through us and not simply from us. When creating, we connect with something higher than ourselves: inspiration is a gift we earn when we show up and create.
I had a realisation early on in art school that if I try to be anyone else other than me il always be second best to someone and that what seemed obvious or natural to me was not the same for everyone else, and if I embraced what seemed natural to me I would discover my own creative voice. This is not to say I am not deeply inspired by many artists, including, but by no means limited to, Vassily Kandinsky, Richard Pousette-Dart, Hilma Af Klint, Jackson Pollock & Leonardo Da Vinci. And also contemporaries such as Ryan Hewett, Olafur Ellison, Conrad Shawcross, Bridget Riley, Jack Coulter & Phillip Taaffe. The list could go on. I reflect upon and learn from their work often. However, when I am creating, I try to embody the inspiration received by them rather than the artist themselves.

Trying to swim without getting wet, acrylic metallic pigment, spray paint varnish, thread & drawing pins on canvas, 61x81 cm, 2022 © Lewis Deeney

Trying to swim without getting wet (detail), 2022 © Lewis Deeney

Let's talk about the main themes behind your art. What messages are you trying to convey with your art?

I want my work to be a mirror of the mind of the viewer. A process of awakening. A way to understand and to know yourself, and ultimately to see the innate potential within you. I want my paintings to be like a psychedelic trip, beautifully confronting and paradoxically wonderful.
I explore metaphysical themes about reality, mainly the coincidence of opposites: what appears opposing is actually a part of the same process, light defines dark, and self implies other. These polarities are one and the same and cannot exist independently from each other. I want to bring awareness to, and ultimately acceptance of, this, as it is a deeply healing perspective on the world, both personally and collectively. This tension between polarities: the part to the whole, Yin and Yang, chaos and order, are symbolically confronted, and dynamically balanced, within the painting when the geometric element(thread, laser cutter) brings order to the abstract painting. This foundational concept connects all my work and the ground upon which I build ideas.

You are very young and probably grew up with social media and the internet. What do you think of digital exhibitions and presentations? And where do you prefer to exhibit your work, online or offline?

I believe that digital media has great value and has allowed me many opportunities I would not have otherwise had. It is a great addition but by no means a substitution. Artwork is always more profound in person, and the depth of a work of art cannot be captured digitally. However, part of the experience is better than no experience at all. With such a wide variety of artists and artworks, digital media is a good way to discover artists and artworks that resonates with you, but I feel these connections should ultimately result in a physical experience with the artist and their work. The limitations of digital representation, unfortunately, mean we can overlook and underappreciate new and novel art. With limited experience, we automatically default to what we have seen before and, therefore, what we already like and understand rather than being confronted by the avant-garde.
I much prefer to show my work physically. My work is highly textured and, due to my use of metallic pigment, often glimmers in response to movement and light. My work is more powerfully experienced in person and in the context of a gallery rather than on a screen, and I also enjoy meeting and discussing the work with people in person. I was unfortunate to have my degree show in 2020, so it was all online, and so much of the experience was lost. I got to experience the differences first hand as I could compare the previous year's degree shows, that I physically went to, with mine that I was watching at home on my laptop. It was a sad comparison. However, there was a global pandemic, how else could it have been done? Digital representation is getting better but has a long way to go before it can rival the physical experience. As with most things, it is not one or the other, but a healthy interplay of both that is needed. But figuring out what a healthy relationship looks like is up for debate, as it should be. We must think deeply about it, as it has profound repercussions across society, not only in the arts.

As a freshly graduated, what do you wish you were taught in school about the art world? And on the contrary, what are you eager to explore on your own?

Unfortunately, I feel art school often does not prepare students for how to be artists out in the world, what that means and how to do it. I do not think this should be a focus of art school, the creation and meaning of art should be at the forefront, but many artists, myself included, feel lost leaving art school, as essentially, to be an artist, you are an entrepreneur and one-man business which is quite different to the artistic process. I wish there were more guidance on how to navigate the art world, how to connect with galleries and collectors, how to make an income from your art, the logistics of wrapping/sending artwork, how best to write applications, etc. I am aware this could be an endless list, and students often don't want to hear it at the time, but it quickly becomes very important and pressing when you graduate. My focus has been learning all of this, I have learned a lot but still have many experiences to learn from.
My work had always been very self-directed, even at art school, when I was working towards an assessment, I had a bigger picture in mind for the paintings I was making. The structure of assessment is helpful as it forces you to focus on different aspects of your work than you normally would and continually challenges your ideas. As beneficial as it was, it was also freeing to be away from. I was very excited and slightly nervous, to create new works with this structure. This is when the Emergence Collection was created, which I feel is some of my strongest work.

Reading The Air, acrylic metallic pigment, spray paint varnish, thread & drawing pins on canvas, 40x40 cm, 2022 © Lewis Deeney

What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?

Career-wise, my answer is simple, to make beautiful and thought-provoking art. I am in my first year since graduating from my MFA and have had two solo shows in that time and have since spent time building connections with galleries and finding platforms to share my artwork. I had a break from painting during that time as I gave myself tennis elbow and nerve damage from painting too much. I recovered and was inspired, and I have since moved to Northern Ireland, where I have a studio space at Platform Arts in Belfast. My focus at the moment is my Emergence Collection, my first collection of works in Belfast, and also since graduating.
My personal life is very intertwined with my art at the moment, but I have passionately practiced yoga and meditation for around seven years, which I love. It helps to ground me and understand myself away from art, and paradoxically this is when I often have my best ideas.
Exercise is a big part of my life; I regularly go to the gym and lift weights, and love the sauna and the ice bath. However, my favorite is bouldering - rock climbing on smaller walls, so you don't need a rope. The tough physical challenge of climbing, combined with the high-pressure cognitive problem solving on the wall, very quickly gets you into a state of flow. I love it, and I have recently started back again after a 3-month break due to a tendon injury in my finger and can't wait to get back into it.

Finally, what are you working on right now? Anything exciting you would like to tell our readers?

My emergence collection is my main focus just now. I have reached new land with this collection and have a lot of ground to explore and paintings to make. I am currently planning on ways to showcase them, but that idea is in its infancy, and I can't reveal much at the moment. I am also working on ways to show and share my artwork, and I am currently working with new galleries. Some work from my Emergence collection is available through Rise Art, and some of my older work can be found on New Blood Art. These are linked on my website. Instagram is the best way to keep up to date with my work.
Lastly, I'd like to end by saying: With art, we can envision a more beautiful world, and together we can bring it into being. Thank you for your time and attention.

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