EDWARD LENTSCH
“E dward L entsch is ... A rtist L eague� Lentsch is an artist, author, architectural builder, designer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota and works out of his studio located in the Warehouse district of Minneapolis. Lentsch is also the founder of Artist League Studios, a Minneapolis based think-tank/studio for emerging artists.
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“T h i s i s
Artists League,
b e c a u s e w e m a k e t h e t h i n g s t h at n e e d t o b e m a d e ! �
The idea of artist league has been to create a vehicle to model excellence, by setting in place, a solid foundation and working mechanism for artists to take on a greater responsibility, purpose and leadership. What artists need is a money making machine, for creative productive minds to achieve new potentials, and discover the vast dimensions of aesthetic goals available to them to make a more effective contribution. With this Model we will redefine artists as individuals with unfathomable vision and a greater reach toward big ideas, but more importantly provide a supporting infrastructure to nurture and solidify these intentions and aspirations through solid business modeling. As Founder of Artist League, the core purpose of my life is to serve all good things; god, family, and humanity through the practice and constant improvement of my craft; be a passionate optimist and dynamic self assured leader; make a worthwhile contribution to the quality of the lives around me, and to accomplish this through growth, aspiration and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and inspiration; and that my actions create abundance, affluence, financial wealth and prosperity that I pay forward in menchlikite and mitz vot; and lasty, that I achieve the ability to make big dreams come true and huge ideas possible. All paintings and artwork unless otherwise noted contained in this catalog are my original works, including all paintings, studio design and floor plan. Some of the graphic design and photography was done with the help of Rasun Mehringer and Megan Frauenhoffer with a special thanks to Kevin Brown at Smart Set. I welcome you to experience my vision to change the paradigm and redefine the role of the TwentyFirst Century Artist. Serving all good things with confidence and fortitude,
Edward Lentsch
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Foreword “Bits & Pieces Put Together to Present a Semblance of a Whole.” I have driven past this enormous sign by Lawrence Weiner at the Walker Art Center innumerous times, and it always reminds me of the Singularity of artistic expression. The principle of Singularity is best explained as the continuity of a unique purpose within a multitude of diverse tasks and information. Synectics is the infinite potential of connecting the dots within this matrix and suggests the path to exponential knowledge. In my process and use of materials, I find a connection between the most elemental phenomena of the universe and magical experiences that articulate something very precious in our connection to things around us.
In Chinese Philosophy it is said that as you take on the attributes of the things you focus your attention on, you acquire the power that underlies them. This is what I refer to as “Defining Synectics.” In William J.J. Gordon’s book, The Development of Creative Capacity, synectics is characterized as a problem solving approach that stimulates through processes of which the subject is generally
unaware. Gordon encapsulates this method as “Trusting things that are alien, and alienating things that are trusted.” In my work, paintings are often paired with titles that attempt to clarify this idea of synectic reasoning by connecting the vast matrix of complex relationships between science and mysticism, the metaphysical and the spiritual. Like one magical discovery after another, each painting progresses from a fresh combination of colors and textures as they might exist in nature as refraction, tessellation, or as a phenomenon of entropy. It is an infinite power that eludes me in its vastness as I observe nature and ponder the workings of the universe. My painting is based on the preponderance of opposites, and the fusion of elements as I contemplate the principles that govern this dynamism. In 1958, Stanislaw Ulam wrote in reference to a conversation with John von Neumann, “One conversation centered on the ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which
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human affairs, as we know them, could not continue.” In his book “Mindsteps to the Cosmos” (Harper Collins, August 1983), Gerald S. Hawkins elucidated his notion of ‘mindsteps’- dramatic and irreversible changes to paradigms or world views. He identified five distinct mindsteps in human history and the technology that accompanied these “new world views”- the invention of imagery, writing, mathematics, printing, the telescope, rocket, computer, radio, and TV. “Each one takes the collective mind closer to reality, one stage further along in its understanding of the relation of humans to the cosmos.” He noted, “The waiting period between the mindsteps is getting shorter. One can’t help noticing the acceleration.” “Hawkins’ empirical ‘mindstep equation’ quantified this, and gave dates for future mindsteps. The date of the next mindstep (5; the series begins at 0) is given as 2021, with two more successively closer mindsteps until the limit of the series in 2053. His speculations ventured beyond the technological: The mindsteps appear
to have certain things in common- a new and unfolding human perspective, related inventions in the area of memes and communications, and a long formulative waiting period before the next mindstep comes along. None of the mindsteps can be said to have been truly anticipated, and most were resisted at the early stages. In looking to the future, we may equally be caught unaware. We may have to grapple with what is presently inconceivable, with mind- stretching discoveries and concepts.” “This process might continue exponentially, with ever more intelligent machines making larger increments to the intelligence of the next machine (this process is referred to as Recursive self improvement). I. J. Good (born Isadore Jacob Gudak ) described this as an intelligence explosion”... Wikipedia. This book sets out to explain my vision for the next great art movement which is just that- “an intelligence explosion”...a new vocabulary...a new kind of science...
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The Secret Order
of the
S aff r o n A d h a r a
The Saffron Adhara is an esoteric name for the life force of the human soul and the mysticism connected to it. The Science of Noetics has described the existence of a particle secretion of sorts that can be stimulated by a master yogi’s state in meditation. In The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown, this idea is very accurately described in a dialog between Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon, “The human brain, in advanced states of focus, will physically create a waxlike substance from the pineal gland. This brain secretion is unlike anything else in the body. It has an incredible healing effect that can literally regenerate cells.” I call it the Saffron Adhara. Saffron is taken from the Saffron robes of an ancient order of monks and the color of a special Rose Madder type color that you only see at certain sunrises and sunsets at particular times of the year. Adhara is derived from the Adhara star, Canis Major- one of the most fascinating stars in the universe distinguished by its mystical pre-biblical and contemporary scientific history. I believe the Saffron Adhara to be the ‘God Particle,’ the color and energy of anti-matter, and the basis for my ideas about ‘cellular rejuvenation.’ It’s the Brahman and the Unified Field, the Holy Science and the XOI Principle. It is the integration of these components rooted within such profound contexts, that has become a reoccurring theme in my work that alludes to the idea of connectivity and universality as it relates to various ideologies, including nature’s degrees of separation, mathematical aesthetics, and the collective unconscious. This body of work is meant to weave through such subject matter, connecting facts of history to the mysteries of the heavens and my search for real magic.
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Seven Story Mountain 35 x 30 inches
Artist League Studios - Floor Plan
Painting
and
Philosophy
Black and white, liquid and powder, hot and cold are among the fundamental elements in my process of painting. I continually strive for the ultimate quality and novelty of surface and texture. Pushing the envelope in the manipulation of materials and their applications is a critical part of the integration of philosophy and technique for me, as I combine the ‘best of the old’ with the ‘best of the new’ attempting to realize a new construct in painting. Varnishes, shellacs, polymers, porcelain-powders, hot pots with beeswax, charcoal, and tempera, all add to the amalgamation of these elements. This concept includes a cognitive approach to process and technique in painting, while allowing for a spiritual expansion through its relative interconnectedness and expression. I feel that this process is like the quantum field; a probability amplitude of an event or thought within a state of anticipation or observation. In fact the anticipation can actually manifest the observation and this is where the idea of real magic, in terms of intention and inspiration, comes from.
For the past 20 years, I have set out with the singular intention to create one thousand titles, each connecting things of an esoteric nature of both fact and legend, through fiction and history. The idea is to connect people to information of a collective spiritual expression, existing in both the phenomena of nature, as well as esoteric subjects relative to ancient mysticism, historical scientific facts, contemporary quantum mechanics including the unified field, and, what is now referred to as, Noetic Science. My anticipation was that these topics and ideas would become more mainstream and relevant to the contemporary thinker of the 21st century as the first 10 years of this new century unfolded through sort of a ‘mind-map of consciousness’ or ‘six degrees of separation’, and most importantly, ‘exponential knowledge’ (the idea that there would be more change and growth of scientific knowledge in this first decade than the last 100 years of the preceding century). My principle idea was to connect information to my work through a collection of titles and thereby link it to the experiential knowledge obtained through a kind of treasure map and data model of what, in my estimation, is profound knowledge; thus, becoming in step with what modern physicists call the ‘harmonic convergence’. Consequently, a more relative
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Kafkannia Pebble, 38 x 46 inches
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‘super-consciousness’ of human expression would be defined, allowing viewers to tap into this expansive collective unconscious. I consider my painting to be purely Gestural Abstraction but within the context of Abstract Expressionism or even Mystical Expressionism. The essence of my practice is one of mind, body, and spirit. As much of a cliché as that may seem to be, it is still relevant. The subject narrative is intended to create a new vocabulary that cumulatively searches to find connections between things I believe to be significant and therefore, the paintings acquire their own thread of individual expression with the larger picture in mind. While the primary emphasis is on the painting as its own unique experience and my process in creating it, each painting, through its title, builds upon a larger vocabulary that references history and origin, whether that be cultural, scientific, theological, metaphysical, etc. The paintings themselves are not trying to objectively describe or attach themselves to any particular narrative except with symbols and subjects through the titles for people to discover on their own. The mystery of the meanings is left to the individual and how they interpret the imagery as it relates to, not just the single title of the individual piece, but rather its larger connection to the body of work. I think of it as a data model of 103 ( a thousand points of contact- ten times ten times ten). A data model is best exemplified through a system like Wikipedia, Google, or the Human Genome project and Steven Wolfram’s ‘Mathematica’ probably best illustrates this new kind of science. Noetic science, another common theme in my work, is the science of measuring thoughts and energy, best known for the “Intention Experiment” and “28 Grams”. I see this as relevant to the ‘intention’ in painting. In my work “The XOI Principle” I discuss ‘cellular rejuvenation’ and the significance of the number 55 (known by Mystics to be the sign of the “double dragon”). The basic formula-grid for XOI Diagram has 55 points (like bowling pins 1 stacked on top of 2, and 2 on 3 etc.) until the tenth row, and each row is the progression of numbers from 1 through 10. There are 55 total points of reference and 100 total possible connection lines between the
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points of the grid. Thus, a 10x10 triangular grid is manifested from the 1-55 fixed points. There is also added significance of this number 55, as it is the tenth number of the Fibonacci sequence. I have come to the conclusion that art is a multidimensional formation of complex relationships and that, ultimately, the ‘intention’ produces an object. In fact, the value of the object lies in its ability to be something unique and remarkable as an object. To me, art is the expansive vision of a dynamic purpose, combined with the skillful intention of our craft that reveals a true potential. This potential suggests all possibilities, and is the essential driver in our ability to make constant and continuing improvements to our work. Pythagoras is believed to have coined the words “philosophy” (love of wisdom) and “mathematics” (that which is learned). I believe that as words define those things that are most important to our definition of self, art is the translation of those same but most important definitions. The complex equation that we refer to as art is still governed by its definition, “skill acquired by experience or study; the use of skill and imagination in the production of things of beauty” (Webster’s Dictionary). I believe that art must be an inspired creation of those things that have great purpose and genuine beauty, and because these things are not only physical but also spiritual and intellectual, we must qualify whether these things do in fact reflect that greatness.
Sumela Monastery 30 x 25 inches
The Seven Forms of Rikka, 88 x 66 inches
The Ace of Poetry, 66 x 88 inches
Bound Sage, 55 x 66 inches
The Soul of Dozuka, 50 x 60 inches
Dozuka Above, 88 x 66 inches
Ordering Force of Novs I and II, 54 x 28 inches each
Defining Synectics Part II, 80x60 inches
The Major Arcana, 88x66 inches
Amsterdam, 75 x 48 inches
From the Rosewood, 66 x 88 inches
The Root of the Idea, 88 x 66 inches
Self Portrait in the Mirror of Erised, 99 x 77 inches
Wolfram Logic Part II, 88 x 66 inches
Faerie Queen, 96 x 79 inches
The Oil of Neroli
The Root of the Idea, 88 x 66 inches
Armetrine, 42 x 64 inches
Sea of Marmara, 76 x 42 inches
Anaxagoras , 60x50inches
Sinan The Architect, 54 x 76 inches
The Mastery of TĂŠ Part II, 66 x 56 inches
Cyclades, 76 x 54 inches
Strophyas, 76 x 54 inches
The Lady of the Mountains, 66 x 88 inches
Simplicius of Cilicia 60 x 50 inches
ksgl
Pachomian Panghia parts I and II, 35 x 25 inches each
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010
Tobi Tobin, Los Angeles The Edge, Santa Fe Costello Childs Scottsdale Budwell Middle East Muscat, Oman Forré and Co. , Aspen CO
PAST EXHIBITIONS
2009-2010 Group exhibition Forre and Co. 2009 Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA 2009 Ogilvie Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL 2009 Madison Gallery, La Jolla, CA 2009 Zane Bennett, Santa Fe, NM 2009 Zane Bennett, Art Chicago 2008 Gallery Moda, Santa Fe, NM 2008-09 Onessimo Fine Art 2008 Ogilvie Pertle Gallery, Chicago, IL 2008 OK H arris Works of Art ,New York, NY 2007 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, NY 2007 Onessimo Fine Art, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 2007 Eleonore Austerer Gallery, Palm Desert, CA 2007 Hernandez Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ 2007 Ogilvie/Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL 2007 Gallery Moda, Santa Fe, NM 2006 Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, MA 2006 Modern Masters, Santa Fe, NM 2006 Hernandez Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ 2006 Modern Masters Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA 2005 Art Chicago Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 2005 Flanders Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 2004 Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA 2004 Desert Wolf, Palm Desert, CA 2003 Art Chicago, Julie Baker Fine Art, Grass Valley, CA 2003 Windsor Gallery, Dania, FL 2003 Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka, MN 2002 Palm Springs International Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA 2001 Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art, Maui, HI 2001 Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art, Nantucket, MA 2000 Palm Springs International Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA 1998 Atrium Design Center, Rancho Mirage ,CA 1997 Sidney Bechet Center for Visual Arts, Garches, France 1995 Gallery Massijiro Ltd., Fukuoka-Ken, Japan 1995 Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art in Bloom, Minneapolis, MN 1994 Scholes Fine Art, Edina, MN
BIBLIOGRAPHY (REFERENCE FOR TITLES)
The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life: Volume 1 by Drunvalo Melchizedek The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life: Volume 2 by Drunvalo Melchizedek The Bible Code by Michael Drosnin The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav The Dead Sea Scrolls by G. Vermes The Divine Proportion by H.E. Huntley Divine Proportion: Phi In Art, Nature, and Science by Priya Hemenway Egyptology: search for the Tomb of Osiris by Candlewick Press The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean translation and interpretation by Doreal The Fourth Turning An American Prophecy by William Strauss and Neil Howe God and the New Physics by Paul Davies God is a Verb by David A Cooper The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World’s Most Astonishing Number by Mario Livio How to Know God by Deepak Chopra The I Ching or Book of Changes by Brian Browne Walker Living in the Heart: How to Enter into the Sacred Space Within the Heart by Drunvalo Melchizedek Mathematics from the Birth of Numbers by Jan Gullberg Morphic Resonance & the Presence of the Past by Rupert Sheldrake Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner The Mystery of Aleph by Amir D. Aczel A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code by Stephen Skinner Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and Practice (Art and Imagination) by Robert Lawlor Sacred Geometry (Wooden Books) by Miranda Lundy The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra Wizardology: The Secrets of Merlin by CandlePress
The Code Book by Simon Singh Six Not So Easy Pieces by Fritjof Capra The Principia by Isaac Newton Angels and Demons by Dan Brown The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown The Dead Sea Scrolls by G. Vermes And the Sea is Never Full by Elle Wiesel The Soul of a Butterfly by Muhammad Ali and Hana Yasmeen Ali The Notebook of Leonardo DaVinci by Edward MacCurdy Creating Affluence: A to Z Steps to a Richer Life by Deepak Chopra Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling by Dr. Wayne Dyer The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure by James Redfield The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown The Transformational Book Circle SeriesThe Yoga of Spiritual Devotion: Narada Bhakti Sutras by Prem Prakash The Book of Life: The Master-Key to Inner Peace and Relationship Harmony edited and interpreted by Gay Hendricks and Philip Johncock Siddhartha an Indian Tale by Hermann Hesse The Essential Alan Watts: Seven Things We Thought We Knew About God and the Cosmos (But Didn’t) by Alan Watts The Power of a Single Thought: How to Initiate Major Life Changes from the Quiet of Your Mind revised and edited by Gay Hendricks and Debbie DeVoe Divine Magic:The Seven Sacred Secrets of Manifestation revised and edited by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson Touching the Divine: How to Make Your Daily Life a Conversation with God edited and interpreted by Gay Hendricks and James Twyman The Creative Pocess: Reflections on Inventions in the Arts and Sciences edited by Brewster Ghiselin
“My paintings are derived from a source of contemplation and fascination with the wonders of an awesome logic that exists in nature,” Lentsch explains. For Lentsch, “As words define those things that are most important to our definition of self, art is the translation of those same but most important definitions.”
Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the following people and resources responsible for this publication. Rasun Mehringer and Megan Frauenhoffer for their editing, production, and photography. Wikipedia and Google for the data and constant source of inspiration and content. The exceptional artists of Artist League and their commitment to my vision and their never ending collective pool of support and help with my endeavors. The many clients and investors in my vision and most importantly my wife Debbie and children Sarah and Theo.
© 2010 Edward Lentsch and Morning Light Studios All Rights Reserved
www.edwardlentsch.com