TANO is a Painter and street artist

ARTISTIC APPROACH

THE SHAMANIC APPROACH

I start a painting free from preconceived ideas. I stand in front of the canvas with an empty mind and paint. I could describe this as creative meditation.

In this approach I try to create a passage, a way to something elusive through painting and street art. I am interested in bringing to life images that have a positive effect in the viewers psyche. This is why in this approach I stay away from the field of thoughts. I want to move beyond the dogmas of our age and create timeless pieces of art that speak to everyone regardless of their culture and background.

My understanding is that painting according to a preconceived notion, an idea, will bear results stranded by memory. Conscious thought is interwoven with and created by memories. We need memory in order to think. Thought is limited by an individual's memory and memory is comprised of our subjective experiences, recordings and beliefs. I try to grasp something universal and true for all humanity, beyond the subjectivity of individual conditioning.  Something that will address the human psyche and emotions.

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THE VISIONARY APPROACH

I approach a project in this manner when there is a notion or an emotional image I want to communicate.

I am fascinated by the mystery of perception and the great ontological questions. What is the nature of reality. What is true nature of the human being and our relation with the Cosmos. For the first subject, I normally use the Shamanic approach. But for the latter, thought comes into play because my research and personal observations play a crucial role. In these cases, I form a hypothesis and work to give it form using visualisation, sketches and painting. I try to envision a picture. A beautiful picture, since I never lost faith in the value of beauty. Even though there is a certain idea I want to bring to life, the process is still not fully concept-driven. The feelings I have at every step of the creative process, play a pivotal role. The intangible aura of the artwork is far more important than any idea.

INFLUENCES

The people that influenced me are Jiddu Krishnamurti, Terence McKenna, Heraclitus and Lao Tzu.

My favourite pastime is wandering around in bookshops and libraries. I see a book as a part of someone’s life. Books are treasures of a person’s consciousness, thoughts, studies, worries and struggles. There is something romantic and mystical in the thought that a stranger, someone from another place and very often from another age, put his thoughts down on paper for us.  

I think of books, this evolving ark of human thoughts, feelings and imagination and I feel grateful. This is true wealth. This is how and we evolve as a species.

I believe that my readings have shaped me more than anything else. I think of the writers as fellow travellers. They walk beside me as I grow older. It is a warm feeling. A positive feeling. We are shaped by the lives of our ancestors of all cultures and races. From the depths of history up to our contemporaries. We have our own part in all this. We are the ancestors of the future generations and this is our opportunity and responsibility to leave behind the best part of us.