ICON by ATIM presents GUSTAVS FILIPSONS

Bridging the Conscious and the Subconscious

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ON THE COVER ‘’Gardener’’ 2021 Oil, Acrylic on Plywood,47”X62”

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‘’A Gift’’ 2021,Oil,Acrylic on Plywood, 47”X62”

GUSTAVS FILIPSONS:

BRIDGING THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS

By Viviana Puello

I

n this edition of ICON Magazine, we delve into the enigmatic world of Gustavs Filipsons, an artist whose work transcends the physical canvas to communicate with the innermost layers of the psyche. Filipson’s oeuvre is a testament to the power of art as a universal language of the spirit, a means through which the subconscious mind can reveal its deepest truths and hidden connections.

Gustavs Filipsons is not just an artist; he is a visionary who uses his canvas to explore the ‘Inner Realm.’ He believes that through painting, he can “cross the boundaries of the human mind, touch the soul, and find revelation through artwork.” His statement resonates with those who encounter his pieces, as each brushstroke and color choice is a deliberate attempt to converse with the unseen forces that drive our existence.

“When painting, communicate the Inner Realm, cross the boundries of human mind, touch the Soul and find revelation through artwork."

Filipsons sees his artistic mission as one of profound communication, employing his artwork as a bridge to speak the ‘language of spirit.’ His conviction that an artwork can manifest one’s true self— exposing raw emotions and feelings— is a guiding principle that shapes his creative output. His work is not just a visual feast; it is an evolutionary process that transforms both the creator and the observer, leading them to experience being “a whole,” a state of mind where the collective consciousness is both reached and expressed.

When asked to describe his work, Filipsons speaks of his intent to forge a connection with the true self, an entity he believes we all possess in common.

His aim is not only to produce something novel or original but to create a type of artwork that allows self-expression within the abstract form. His tools are as varied as the emotions he seeks to evoke—oil colors, spray paints, gloss

his intuition to discern the beneficial messages from those that may mislead.

In the context of ICON Magazine and for the readers of ArtTour International, the artwork of Gustavs Filipsons presents a compelling invitation: to engage with a form of expression that goes beyond the superficial and to experience a profound connection with the intangible aspects of our nature. His paintings do not just hang silently; they beckon us to listen, feel, and awaken to the vast potential within the canvas of our collective psyche.

‘’Two towers’’ 2023, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas 47”X57”

mediums, scratching, acrylics, and a varied selection of brushes and stencils are just some mediums he channels his vision.

His process is layering, building upon the canvas until the image naturally emerges from an amalgam of shapes and visions. Often discovered by chance, the initial sketch acts as a seed that grows under Filipsons’ intuitive guidance. This process is intense and rapid, yet the final refinement stage demands patience and contemplation. Filipsons’ technique lets the accidental inform the deliberate, bringing about an aesthetic that may seem brutal at first—akin to the unpredictable beauty of a volcanic eruption.

His work’s vitality is immediately apparent, devoid of conventional structure or a pictorial center; instead, Filipsons allows his forms to come alive, to engage in unexpected dialogues with the background’s depth. His skillful handling of painterly gestures matches his passion for experimentation.

The creative process for Filipsons involves a quest for a particular moment—when the painting fills with energy and the image begins to ‘speak’ to him. This is not instant gratification but a climax that is reached after persistent engagement with the work. The energy that infuses his work is mirrored in the artist’s mindset, a constant state attuned to capturing symbols and understanding the logic of relationships and events.

Much of his inspiration is drawn from the realm of dreams, including the disciplined

practice of lucid dreaming, which informs and expands his creative vision. Yet, Filipsons cautiously approaches this dream world, trusting

“As an artist, I have always carried a sense of mission inside me: to communicate with the world and people through my artwork and speak the ‘language of spirit”.

“Landscape” 2020, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas,55”X62”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC STYLE? The sole intention and purpose of my work is to communicate with the unknown in our subconscious mind. To find the connection with our true selves which i believe is something common we all possess. Other goal is to create artwork that would be some kind of new, if not new, then original kind of work, expressing oneself in terms of artistical form inside abstractionism. I use oil color, spray paint, gloss, scratching, spray paint, acrylic, canvas, brushes- different widths and forms, stencils. Usually I paint layer on layer until the actual artwork emerges from different kind of forms and images. Most of the cases there is some originally found sketch on the bases of which i develop my work. Its always found by some unconscious way, unintentionally, but I still go further and develop it letting intuition lead me. The whole art process as such is intense and quick, but the finishing stage can take some time to accomplish. The technique is developed to let unintentional to become intentional, that is why it first hand appears a kind of brutal, because this process is like a volcano that sculpts. I am interested in the pure logic of interconnection of the certain images which had

“Face’’ 2020, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas 39”X39” ‘’Comet And The Sun” 2018, Oil, Acrylic, Spray Paint on Canvas 70”X55”

‘’Extraction’’ 2023, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas 59”X47”

aroused unintentionally in the process of such painting, actually they have acquired certain logic. The same is about spaces and there relations in painting that seems flat for the untrained eye, but has deepness within.

Dr. phil. Ingrid Gardill on my art: We appreciate this artist because he executes his paintings with open working methods and with techniques that he is always developing. His large-format, abstract paintings are convincing because of their radical formal language, which is characterized by vitality. Compositionally, he mostly dispenses with a “classical” structure, such as a pictorial center.

Instead, he allows his forms to take on a life of their own, or sometimes they enter into a surprising connection with the depth of the background. His liveliness and joy of experimentation are always coupled with a virtuoso use of painterly gestures.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? When painting, there is a moment I crave for- that the moment I feel the piece fills with energy, the image becomes alive and speaks to me. That is not what happens from the very beginning. Only then I can be sure, the piece is worth something. Sometimes it takes some time to reach that goal. There are times the connection is weaker, there are times it is stronger. “When painting I do everything to match the flow of energy to be delivered in artwork. First place You have to be open to creative impulses to guide you. My mind in my life is constantly set in a state that allows me to capture symbols and the logic of events that happen in relations. All that actually matters is mind flow that is set right. For all my life I have sensed that all is alive even stones, and all is speaking to me. Later I understood, that I must deliver some message of what I feel. Since then i am serving this goal to “open window”. Painting is also the goal in

it self. That helps to keep this window of mind open. Much of my inspirations are driven from dreams, I used to practice lucid dreaming also. Dreams tell much, and open much, but they can also lure you in a pit.

Not everything is good inside this realm.

To trust your intuition, while painting is essential. I love painting layer by layer, until the actual artwork” arises”.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST? When I was a child I used to read a lot.

I was inspired by fairy tales of different nations. Especially of these living in far north. I felt there is something very true in those “Fantasies”. The way they looked at Nature and saw the spirits behind it truly captured me. I walked through the woods also capturing images in fallen trunks or listened to the birds as if they were one of us or delivered some meaningful message.

Everything was alive and spoke to me. I was

so filled with energy, I did not know were to put it.

that time had much greater influence on me than the bypassing Soviet Era.

WHAT MESSAGE DOES YOUR WORK TRANSMIT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?

I was also deeply inspired by the cities(Riga),I am born in, old architecture and its different moods in different seasons.

At that time everything seemed to live its own life and had its special spirit. Dark Art Nouveau houses in Autumn evenings became alive in feeble lamplight ,which was swinging in the wind above the street.

Those mythical silhouettes and symbols at

I wished to carry the way I look on things and feel them further and already then I was confronted with a way of thinking the “real” world possess. That made my conviction even stronger to become a story teller myself only in visual Art. I felt I was born for it. The very idea of becoming an artist and study Arts was clear for me at the age of 15.

To my spectator I would wish to deliver the idea and awareness of how wonderful and true our existence in fact is. Our mind, we have, waits until we open it to seize the reality that is full of excitement and where there is no place to experience depression or anxiety. We constantly block the “window” which must stay open to what inner self teaches us, trust it and

“Portrait” 2011, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas 74”X55”

follow to face ourselves as we are in truth. Then accept it, change and move forth. Then we shall be able to see and feel once again.

Imagination is a powerful tool, because it lets you to be integrated in a “real world”, where our spirit dwells.

Other thing is to show the way of seeing beauty in everything .Even seemingly ugly things has its own aesthetics.

Find freedom in what you are. Accept yourself .Love.

HAS ANY PART OF YOUR STORY INFLUENCED WHAT YOU DO NOW? It really has. The whole time I have been occupied with reaching artistic goals, I have mentioned above, I have had a lot of struggle in order to get my message heard. You get the understanding that nothing comes without your own contribution. You can not expect things happen out of nothing. You have to work hard in order to reach your goals. That has changed my attitude towards everything. I know now, that If you want something, you can not expect others to simply give that for you. Life demands attitude.

Keep moving regardless of odds. If you stop, you stop the flow of energy. There is only one way and it is moving forward, keeping pushing harder to make ‘’the flow’’ easy and powerful.

by

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS AND PUBLICATIONS • ‘’Star of the week award’’, Art Tour International magazine,2023 • ‘’Power of creativity’’, Contemporary Art Curator Magazine,2021 • ‘’Kunst Award” 2016’’,Nominated,’’Munich,International Kunst Heute,2016 • “ PIAB 2021 Worldwide Nominees 2 - FIABCN’’, nominated, Spain, 2021 • “The best Modern and Contemporary Artists 2018”,Italy,F. Saverio Russo und Salvatore Russo,2018 • ‘’International Kunst Heute 2016’’,Germany,2016 • ‘’International Kunst Heute 2017’’,Germany,2017 • ‘’International Kunst Heute 2018’’,Germany,2018 • ‘’Arttour International Winter Issue 2023’’,Artourinternational Magazine,2023 • ‘’Arttour International Spring Issue 2023’’,Artourinternational Magazine,2023

Gustavs Filipsons @gustavsfilipsons www.gustavsfilipsons.berta.me

‘’Sighting’’ 2023, Oil, Acrylic on Canvas 47”X59”

As an artist I believe, one’s true self can be experienced through an artwork.

One’s true emotions and feelings can appear “on surface”.As we appear a part of something much bigger than we are, that part also gets “evolved” during the creative process. Being “a whole” is a state of mind, that results in this.

This is the experience that evolves both-the artist and the spectator.

Gustavs Filipsons