Josie Gould
contemporary landscape painter
'When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy' Rumi
I love to paint outdoors, immersing myself in the sensory qualities of light and colour,
to capture the pulse & poetics of the Devon land, coast & seascapes.
Catching the mystical spirit, the numen, of these wild places, I aim to evoke these often subtle
yet powerful qualities, the vitality and zest of life, in my oil and mixed media paintings.
In my Vipassana meditation practice, on retreat many years ago, I experienced total immersion
into an all encompassing joy, a dissolution into the nature of being, which has remained with me
ever since. Like being inside an explosion of particles eternally unfolding in an exquisite dance,
going beyond thoughts to experience a new vision of what is.
How is it possible to find this soulful joy and delight in the everyday? Well let's consider
that reality is whatever's happening in front of you. And if arguing with reality (Katie: 2007)
means you lose equanimity then it hurts not to be a lover of what is. As psychologist Carl Jung said ‘we do not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious’. 'Anthem'
To do this it is possible to choose to actively open to darkness, pain, joy and delight by training Josie Gould
your curiosity. This enquiry, using a meditative listening, feeling and sensing approach,
enables letting go of interpretations and attachments until you are so completely okay with not knowing
that you welcome it. Life arises in the moment, pain, pleasure, reactions and meaning arrive and dissolve; freedom and spaciousness occur. This quality of presence, simply being with whatever is emerging, from the most simple and mundane moment to the most dramatic, whether sorrowful, beautiful or exquisite, might be the key to soulful joy. And, what’s more, (Gay:2019) joy might also be an invitation to more joy; by loving something we offer other people an opportunity to love it too.
When you take the time to draw on your listening-imagination, you will begin to hear this gentle voice at the heart of your life. It is deeper
and surer than all the other voices of disappointment, unease, self-criticism and bleakness. All holiness is about learning to hear the voice of
your own soul. It is always there and the more deeply you learn to listen, the greater surprises and discoveries that will unfold. To enter into
the gentleness of your own soul changes the tone and quality of your life. Your life is no longer consumed by hunger for the next event,
experience or achievement. You learn to come down from the treadmill and walk on the earth. You gain a new respect for yourself and others
and you learn to see how wonderfully precious this one life is. You begin to see through the enchanting veils of illusion that you had taken for
reality. You no longer squander yourself on things and situations that deplete your essence. You know now that your true source is not outside
you. Your soul is your true source and a new energy and passion awakens in you.
John O'Donohue
Recommended reading:
'A Thousand Names for Joy, How to live in Harmony with the way things are’ Byron Katie (2007) Rider.
'Book of Delights', Ross Gay (2019) Coronet.
'Divine Beauty: the invisible embrace', John O'Donohue (2003) Bantam Books.
'Kindness', Naomi Shihab Nye, https://poets.org/poem/kindness
'Alchemical studies', Collected works 13: The Philosophical Tree', C. G Jung, (1945) Para 335
My passion for the visual arts has led me to the following qualifications:
(For more information please visit underlined links)
Plymouth University, 2012.
Plymouth University, 2010.
European BodySoul Rhythms
Leadership Training Program.
Marion Woodman Foundation, Leadership using Jungian analysis, dreamwork, arts, mask, dance and voice studied in Uk, Switzerland and Canada.
Post Graduate Diploma inDocumentary Photography
University of Wales, Cardiff.
Diploma in Performance Coaching in Business.
Newcastle College.
Photographic Master Classes with Magnum photographers,
Maine Photographic Studios, Rockport, Maine, U.S.A.
Landmark Education, London
Self development and communications programmes. Introductory Forum Leader, Self Expression and Leadership Programme - Head Coach in Devon.
My work also has explored social issues affecting the land, individuals and communities.
(For more information please visit under-lined links)
Creative Coaching.
private practise offering creative approaches
founder and partner: business development embracing the being and doing of business
using arts, mask, dance and narrative.
(Members of Institute of Leadership and Management).
rights of passage courses using creativity for girls and women.
founder of voluntary group, including fund-raising, co-ordination, progam design and facilitation of self development courses combining arts and adventure run by
therapists and artists
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Awards:
Devon Life Landscape Artist of the Year Finalist 2018
M.I.N.D Millennium Award
for the " Art of Transition ".
TV-AM Tom Hopkinson Award
for photojournalism.
Memberships:
Contemporary Mark Makers - South Devon.
A peer group of 20+ exhibiting artists who explore contemporary art.
Role: Leader and Co-ordinator.
Dartington Arts group.
Devon Artist Network
A-N Network
Other Interests:
Five Rhythms dance,
Vipassana Meditation,
Travel,
Hiking; just completed the South West Coast path - 630 miles
Life is a Journey:
In the spirit of the mystery, the Mystery of Spirit,
to live is to live as variously as possible,
to groom one's curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred,
climb aboard, and gallop over the thick, sun-struck hills every day. Where there is no risk, the emotional terrain is flat and unyielding, and,
despite all its dimensions, valleys, pinnacles, and detours,
life will seem to have none of its magnificent geography, only a length. but,what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.
Anon