My submission is called: “Life, the universe and everything”The work I am doing now is about bridging perspectives – the far and the close. This takes me to spaces where I exchange perspectives as often as I can – it is part of growing up. From the perspective of the planets in space, beginning with the closest to the furthest from the sun, there is an order that is unchangeable. From earth near where I am standing right now, people can see their favorite heavenly body because the painting shows all nine planets as well as the Asteroid Belt, the Moon and the Sun. I painted it so that people wanting to space out can gaze at the planets that cannot be seen in real life – other than by travelling in space. My motivation is to share these visions with others.
I still have so much to learn. That is why it is important to be mindful of the future and, direction I want to take my work in and the choices to make at each intersection. The planets are on different orbits at different speeds, so in 2012 the rare event of a planetary alignment will occur. Unlike galactic systems, our lives are changeable: I picture myself at that point in the future: Where am I? What am I doing?
The James Wallace Arts Trust is a foundational organisation in the development of the Arts in Australasia. See an interview with James Wallace on the New Zealand Leadership Pathway where he shares his thoughts on the contribution of Arts to social and economic development.
