Rediscovered Perspectives & Heightened Awareness
March 2, 2009
review by Lane Vance
I LOVED READING, IN FACT EXPERIENCING Alex Bigney’s Talking to Tesla. For me, the book arrived at just the right time; I was ready for the invitation to re-examine and rediscover my perspectives, to heighten my awareness.
Talking to Tesla is not a book to be read once. Almost immediately into my reading, I realized that the book would be best appreciated with dictionaries in hand along with ready access to the internet (or a library) to track down referenced paintings. I made the decision to just ‘read on’ during my first pass, knowing that I would be back again to explore the book while searching out the referenced art and delving into words and patterns that intrigued me. Of course after that first pass I noticed on the bottom of the book’s back cover jacket the statement: “A book to be read again and again…”
I have a close friend who is an accomplished artist and he knows that I delight in art; he also knows that I do not paint. Years ago while appreciating some of his paintings with him I jokingly commented: I know everything about art; I just don’t know what I like! We laughed. Just thinking about that statement makes me laugh. Last year this friend referred me to the Talking To Tesla website. I curiously clicked through the site and downloaded and read the chapters available via “The Book” icon. I was fascinated by these chapters and I looked up Nikola Tesla on the internet, vaguely recalling his name from science classes more than three decades back. My interest was animated and I looked forward to reading the book. Then the Email announcement reached my inbox: BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE! When Talking to Tesla arrived, my schedule was unusually inflexible. I started reading Thursday evening and got back to it Friday evening – both times having difficulty putting the book down – and then I read Saturday evening until the pleasant completion in the early hours Sunday. Time permitting, I would have read the book straight through.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘artist insight’ Alex magically wove throughout the narrative of his book. The skillfully detailed descriptions of the painting process and the connection between his art and his dreams awakened a new awareness within me. His weaving skills artfully combined persons, places, things, languages, and ideas. The pages of Alex’s “word painting” took me into his life and his dreams and opened the door to his adventures in a way that I could actually see some of his descriptions and even smell the oil paint! Talking to Tesla, An Artist’s Dream Journal invites the rebirth of child-like discovery and intensified awareness in our life journey, and includes all experiences whether ‘dreaming’ or ‘awake’.
Thank you Alex for your quest “…of exposing the creative being—the artist in each of us”! The light has taken root in me.
photo courtesy of paulhadley.com/library
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