Iamikan's lines walls of Core Consciousness

      by: Vikki Matsis, October 14, 2010, Charleston Scene
      http://www.charlestonscene.com/news/2010/oct/14/iamikans-artwork-lines-walls-of-core-consciousness/

      This artist's main concern is staying true to nature, by means of choosing mediums and materials only directly found in nature.  His name is Courts Iamikan and he developed these methods while living in Turkey.  How did he come to use such atypical painting methods?  First, let me describe to you the way that his paintings take form.  He mixes pigment with anything from seawater to salt crystals and lets any natural chemical changes take place.  Vikki Matsis interviewed him about his mysterious techniques and he had this to say: "We are all magicians. I let the results speak for themselves. No need to break down the synchronicity of what you are doing, that takes away all the magic of what art is anyhow. Nature continues to be the greatest magician to mankind."  
      This artist has never picked up a paintbrush either.  Surprising?  He is completely self-taught in these methods and uses mainly his fingers to apply paint to unusual surfaces such as glass, canvas, steel, wood, and acrylic glass.  This is actually part that he says is most difficult; getting the paint to adhere to these surfaces.  However, one way that he combats this problem is by allowing pieces to sit in total darkness once completed.  He lets his paintings sit in darkness for up to three months to all the materials to fuse without the influence of perception.  I think that this man's techniques are very unique and clever and display a substantial knowledge of what makes good art, with a primary focus on how art is made.  Although the pieces themselves are beautiful, it is the process by which they were made that sets them apart.  I liked this article because I enjoyed hearing an artist's perspective that is very different from mine.