Clinical Art
Sri Prabha Uses a Study of Psychology to Challenge Emotions and Perceptions

By Robert Nevel

It can be said of most artists that their work has two distinct levels. Old school and new school, happy and sad, bright and dark — these are all conflicting notions analyzed in countless artists’ work. Sri Prabha takes this double-sided concept to polar ends.

Prabha’s approach to art is a dynamic collision of the cerebral and the calculated. Exploring both sides of the brain, he taps into unconscious aspects of creation and then analyzes them with a mind sharpened by years of psychological study.

“My approach to art has been fundamentally changed after studying psychology,” Prabha explained. “I was on my track to get my doctorate in clinical psychology and there came a time during the process that just pushed me into painting again.”

Along with earning his master’s in clinical psychology, Prabha also pursued a formal education in art at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, giving him the ability to apply psychological knowledge to a real study of his craft. Using nature as the conduit between both aspects of his work, he manipulates paint and texture in ways similar to nature itself.

His artist’s statement specifies that “materials are scraped, sanded, eroded, layered, built up, reduced, or scorched” as in the natural world. One noted method of creation has been the use of gravity and a blowtorch on paint or dye-infused resins to make unique depths and subtleties.

His art is on display in private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. Recently, Prabha became a resident artist at Miami Beach’s CANDO Arts Co-op. The co-op’s latest exhibition, “Fresh,” features his work along with the work of several other resident artists. The exhibition opens May 6.

Robert Nevel: How is your approach to art different after studying psychology compared to before?
Sri Prabha: My previous undergraduate studies in painting at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle centered around technique and history of the art world. It wasn’t until I did something completely different, did I realize how important painting and creativity was for me. These things feel encoded into my genes, and I really couldn’t see myself as a therapist for the rest of my life. I had an opportunity to leave with my creativity intact and so I left with my masters. The core things I now care about are my relationships to the greater world, the cosmos, and humanity’s place in reference to our natural world and concern for the imbalance towards it that we have created. This has led me to paint two series of works. The first, the “Natural Processes” series, addresses the absolute wonder and beauty inherent in the geological and cosmic events that have created and sustain life. The second series, “Endangered Flora and Fauna,” is the flipside of the other and explores man’s endangering of various ecosystems. Both series has won awards in the past two years and this showed me that I am on the right path. You know you’ve hit something deeper and relevant when you are acknowledged like that.

RN: How do you use methods such as self-hypnosis and meditation to influence your work?
SP: This is a great question. I learned the process of “Guided Imagery” often used to help patients recover repressed memories, or even alleviating pain. This process is a form of active meditation where I create imagery in my head and sort of travel thru various constructs. It’s different from the meditation that comes from my homeland of India, which helps oneself dissolve into the cosmos. I use both of them as they inform each other. The imagery that develops in my head then gets somehow transferred to canvas or panels. I usually get colors and a sense of a feeling attached to the images. Blurry at first, but shapes and lines evolve. I then store these images in the back of my head, mull them over as I think and read, and temper these with the scientific discoveries of our time which serve as the conceptual underpinnings of my work.

RN: Your art “addresses a connection with both raw and ancient forms of nature.” What influence does the ancient and “primitive” art of the world have on yours?
SP: I had to step back a bit and think this one thru. I realized the ancient and primitive art that came to mind were the aboriginal paintings, then the Chauvet Cave paintings, and of course African rock art. These types of works are all just amazing occurrences of art especially when you know they were created about 28,000 to 35,000 years ago. I think I feel more connected to the aboriginal and African rock paintings as they feel like there is more of a connection to the Earth. Australian rock art referred to the “Dreaming” state of life which showed revelations or insights revealed in dreams. I think this process is more akin to my self hypnosis and meditation practices I use. Regarding materials, the Aboriginal and African artists used hematite which is an iron ore, quartz, and other minerals. I started using these materials without even conscious thought about the connection to these works and that’s the beauty of it.

RN: Specifically, how do you apply the more scientific, analytical aspects of your creation process to your art?
SP: In a nutshell, for the scientific/psychological part of it, I am very cognizant of the emotive and visual elements that go into a piece. We now have scientific discoveries that underpin our understanding of the cosmos, and the natural world around us. There are now giant telescopes that can see into the furthest reaches of space and the distant past, and this has illuminated our understanding of how the universe came into being and how our solar system formed. We have submersibles that delve deep beneath our seas and have discovered geo thermal vents teeming with chemo synthetic life. And scientists have figured out how to assemble RNA, from the basic elements of the primordial world. All these discoveries are the essentially what I see, absorb, translate into what I paint. I synthesize these discoveries into a visual essay of sorts.
For example, let’s take the piece “Primordial Adapation” for instance. The main images are that of a red field, with a green middle field, a botanic element, and geological states of the earth over billions of years. The botanical element is the key thing in this painting. I chose this plant as it was the first type to evolve from an algae-like plant, to one that can actually live on land. I think you know the how the rest fit into the equation. The colors suggest vitality and the passage of time is indicated by the changing tectonic plates of earth. The meditative end of this piece was that somehow I came up with the concept of an early adaptive state of being. It turned out to be about this early plant, and of course, plants produce oxygen and that made the rest of life here possible. The cerebral, emotional, psychological, and analytic parts of the work become entwined and propel the viewer on an evolving journey. People tell me they keep discovering new things in the paintings on repeated viewings. They see the colors, the feelings they encounter initially, then the more analytical stuff gets process by the brain, and you have ever more areas of discovery.

RN: What initially sparked the idea to use materials from the Earth along with elements of the Earth such as gravity, depth, etc.?
SP: Materials from the Earth seemed like a natural extension of what I was addressing. Minerals were the basis for the pigments for the rock paintings so it seems like a full circle for me. Scientifically, iron is a common element found in meteors and it’s also one of the basic elements for all life. We have it in our blood. And of course without gravity, the Earth and the galaxies wouldn’t exist, so I am very conscious of this as a force when I am painting and when used with resin. The depth of the layers in my paintings is like the sandwiched layers of geologic time. I am planning to soon use meteorite dust, and other fragments from space. These are things to look forward to.

RN: What do you think about when you’re creating a piece of art?
SP: Each piece of work develops after meditating. I write a short descriptive text of what’s going on. For instance, in “Cosmos/Geothermal Vents,” the imagery I got after meditation was how the saying “We are made of stars” could be realized. I don’t know if the imagery came first or the saying. For me it’s the same thing, just different modes of communication. So I thought of galaxies forming in space, and the hydrothermal vents deep in our oceans. Both life producing phenomena. So I keep the feeling and the imagery I had in mind and get to work. This piece will be premiering at the “Fresh” show.

RN: When you studied clinical psychology, did you get any experience with that carried over mentally and emotionally into your artwork?
SP: Sure, we had internships and I had treated both kids and adults. You see a wide spectrum of cases and I can’t really discuss the nature of those cases but say they do run the gamut. Treating these cases over time turned out to be both mentally and emotionally draining. It slowly dawned on me that I just wouldn’t be able to continue in that capacity and keep my creativity for the long term. I thought a lot about happiness. Obviously, I’m simplifying a bit, but most of my patients were not happy. Life is short and you have to make every effort to do the things that make you happy, so here I am making art.

RN: What made you want to settle in Miami, and how has the experience of being part of the CANDO Co-op been so far?
SP: Well, I felt I wanted to try something new after living in San Francisco for about 12 years. I really wanted more sun, more time in the water kayaking and snorkeling, and to enjoy the warmth that SF was not providing. I love marine life and exploring this world is really amazing to me. I also love going to the Everglades, as well as the Fairchild Tropical gardens. And of course the arts scene in Miami has really become world class and something felt right about the decision to come here. And the artists at CANDO Arts Co-op have all been very wonderful and supportive. The space is artist-run and artist-directed. That is a dramatic difference from other gallery spaces around here. We are focused on showing edgy, contemporary, and innovative work with depth. So it’s a place to take chances and really work on the art.

RN: Is there anything specific that you were trying to convey with the pieces in this particular show?
SP: Since Spring is about transformation, I’ve selected some specific works relating to this concept. It’s more about the natural processes that speak to me. The unseen, just below our feet and our consciousness that drives these transformations will be the works that I will be showing. I am premiering several new paintings for the show and I think it will be an evening of great art, wonderful discoveries, and a chance to talk with me and all the artists at our space. I am grateful for having the opportunity to share my vision along with Luis Valle for our “Fresh” group show opening on May 6. I really want to encourage everyone to drop by. We are all serious about our work, but we are certainly not serious and stuffy.

“Fresh,” opens at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 6 in the Sol Gallery at the CANDO Arts Co-op, 309 23 St., Miami Beach.

Sri Prabha’s work will also be featured on Saturday, April 30 at the Life is Art Boca Center South Florida Artist Fair at the Shops at Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information visit candoartscoop.com and sriprabha.com.

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