Reaching for the stars

La Palma Observatory

Last May I made a short trip to the beautiful island of La Palma. This green and peaceful pearl in the Atlantic is home to the largest astronomical observatory in Europe. It took our rented Citroën Cactus half a tank of gas in first gear to get to the mountaintop where IAC's huge telescopes are silently witnessing the spectacle of outer space. So one does wonder how they managed to lift all those heavy and sensitive optical high-tech gadgets to the rim of the crater of Roque de los Muchachos.

Getting there, taking in the spectacular panoramas, I felt very satisfied and overwhelmed... It was one of these things on my bucket list: To see a huge astronomical facility on top of a mountain. Ever since early childhood, I've had a clear predilection for all things outer space, so to me this trip felt a bit like coming home. Especially because my 4 year old son was standing next to me, sharing the experience.

Also from early childhood on, all my artistic expressions have had some sort of 'cosmic' or 'outer space' aspect to them. And that is something I am still pursuing...

Especially at a place like that, on a mountain top from where Humanity watches the cosmos, one is reminded of the fundamental oneness or inseparability of all life and phenomena, and the magic of it all... And that is more and more the intentional core message of everything I create through music, painting, photography or what have you...

Let's create a wonderful, peaceful 2017 and carefully observe the infinite!

Kite at Eagle Peak

Kite at Eagle Peak, 30 x 30 cm acrylic on canvas, © Olivier Hijmans 2015

Mountains always have my attention. Is it their solidity? Their overwhelming appearance? The way they play with light? Their vistas? Probably all of the above.

Kite at Eagle peak is a painting I made in 2015. It is now for sale on Saatchiart.

Eagle Peak is the mountain top where the Buddha is said to have expounded his teaching called the Lotus Sutra. This is regarded his most important teaching, in which he declares all life to be inherently endowed with the highest potential for wisdom, compassion, courage, happiness and fortune.. no ordinary message indeed.

So I used this single fluttering kite as a symbol for this state of absolute spiritual freedom, as it playfully dances around this serene mountain top. The moon is there to witness the show.

Mont Sainte Victoire

"Mont Sainte Victoire" 30 x 30 cm acrylic on canvas © Olivier Hijmans, 2015

Cézanne's famous series about Mont Sainte Victoire has been a great inspiration for me. Having attended many Buddhist summer courses over the years near the village of Trets, overlooking this beautiful mountain, I have formed a deep connection with this area. The specific herbal scent, the dry summer heat, the sounds from the valley, the ever changing color and lighting of the mountain... It really is a very special place. Cézanne knew that, and I also experienced it very much.

Though the mountains in this painting are not quite the shape of the actual Mt Sainte Victoire, this scene is an expression of the area and everything I experienced there, as projected from my heart and observation.

For sale on Saatchiart.com 

Reach Out

Reach Out, 60x60 cm acrylic on canvas © Olivier Hijmans, 2016

I do enjoy painting wide landscapes and horizons. In the early days, it was hard to believe or understand that another land might exist beyond the horizon. But we had a strong sense that there would be something there, though we had no idea what those lands would look like and who their inhabitants were. Ships sailing to the edge were destined to fall off of the face of the Earth, many feared.. a now very illogical scenario to us of course, freely flying around the globe and across the continents.

Still, I imagine we cherish the same perspective when gazing at galactic horizons in outer space.. Some of us do have a hunch that ET civilizations might exist, and some believe we have been visited by some of them. Yet many will claim our ships, or theirs, would never be able to break through the light-speed barrier, let alone safely cover any intergalactic distance..

This I find to be a very fascinating paradigm. Are there other Worlds out there? Will we ever be able to reach out to them? And when we do, who and what will we find? Our interaction with an ET civilization would most likely not be very linear. It would probably be mind bending, uncomfortable, exiting, and deeply transformative to both. Their World may somewhat resemble ours, or it might be a completely upside down experience to us. Even the most deserted desert might contain a hidden wealth of life, and the cosmos might turn out to be teeming with life, like a fresh green forest in spring. Maybe one day our Blue Marble will be their Blue Marble and vice versa. Fundamentally and playfully engaging in the struggle to reach out to each other, all connected in the eternally flowing river of existence...

For sale on Saatchiart.

Precambrian

Precambrian, 40x40 cm acrylic on canvas © Olivier Hijmans 2016

Since there are obviously no photographs of prehistoric times (unfortunate as that may be), there is no limit to our imagination as to what our planet may have looked like in long gone eras. To me this painting evokes a sense of the unlimited life potential of Earth in, say, the precambrian era..
A scene so distant in so many ways, and yet so vividly dancing in front of your eyes.. this image reveals many layers, colors, movements, perspectives and atmospheres. Also, it makes one wonder what "happened next".

Soon for sale on Saatchiart.

Desolate

Desolate, acrylic on canvas, 40x40 cm © Olivier Hijmans, 2016

Has this lone black tree lost all its color to the mountains? Is this a scene of hope or despair? Can the sun still warm these rolling hills? What's behind those distant peaks? And what's that black ball doing up there in the clouds? ..Many questions to be answered about this panorama. Again, a conscious choice can be made here, projecting either a barren and cold realm or a gentle tale of early spring onto this canvas. Even the most desolate of places could spring to life under the passionate glare of our willful eyes... For sale on Saatchi Art.

Threefold World

Threefold World, 70 x 70 cm acrylic on canvas, © Olivier Hijmans 2016

In many of my landscape paintings, like The Climb, it may be hard to figure out just exactly where is the horizon... as may be the case in some areas in life as well, or in how we see the world around us in terms of understanding.

This painting, titled Threefold World, takes that kind of perspective to a new level. Sky becomes movement becomes ground becomes horizon becomes sky. There are basically three landscapes or realms here, and it's up to you to define how they are connected. You can follow the vertical line in the middle, though, and see where it takes you.

The Threefold World also refers to a similarly titled Buddhist concept, which describes the World as we know it as consisting of the three realms of Desire, Form and Formlessness. Very interesting indeed.

Meanwhile, in this painting there appears to be some overarching undulation going on, which may almost lead one to believe that these various layers of mountain ranges and horizons are actually moving, and may even transform into another perspective.

Using this kind of panorama as a mirror for ourselves, one thing it teaches us could be that it is never our exact current circumstances that matter... it is our ability to see their dynamics and to creatively transform them.

The Climb

The Climb, 30 x 30 cm acrylic on canvas, © Olivier Hijmans 2016

Mountains have always been a source of inspiration for me. I love mountains. Perhaps because where I live, we don't have any. To me, mountains are magic, massive, majestic, magnetic entities. They call out to me: "Climb me!". Whenever I see a mountain or mountainous landscape, I get exited. And I want to scale it. And when you do, I found three things generally happen: You get to enjoy the wonderful vistas and colors of the land, unfolding under your feet step by step. Then, to your great challenge/annoyance you get to find out that there's always yet another peak beyond the one you're looking at. And when you pursue, you'll get this irreplaceable sense of fulfillment. In the end, I feel mountains teach us to challenge ourselves, broaden our horizons and become unshakable...