main  I  ANNUAL EXHIBITIONS on view   I   ARTISTS OF TODAY   I   ART BOOK members   I   MEMBERSHIP   I   APPLICATIONS   I   CONTACT

Description: Jean-Paul Setlak presents this collection of Magical Faces and Unforgettable Eyes that Touch the Soul as they Delight with their Beauty. Jean-Paul Setlak, a Teacher of Deep Meditation and a Passionate Lover of Beauty and Spirit, offers this collection of paintings to the Eyes of Your Soul.    A comment: "My intent as I dream and paint these pieces is to bring the vibrations of Spiritual Freedom and Bliss into our planet. I too am nourished and transformed as I paint and later, as I look at these paintings. Each one can lead to an amazing journey of Beauty and Transcendence. I use these paintings as meditation portals, as sacred initiation objects. They allow me to reach purer and higher states of meditation in my practice. I hope that they serve you similarly, bringing greater vibrations of Peace, Joy and Spiritual Power into your environments and your Life."     Philosophy: Painting is impulsive, intuitive, driven, for me. I experience a powerful, overwhelming need to create a particular picture and I feel literally as if I were removing veils from already existing work. What drives me is a feeling of unbounded joy. In its absence, I must stop. Although I paint feminine figures, my primary desire is to express the soul essence of the model: through the eyes, the mouth, and the gestures. Plastic perfection is less important here than emotional power. Some of the women I paint have tragedy in their eyes, others, joy or wisdom. I deeply enjoy the interplay between the esthetic, the erotic and the mythic. Every model represents an archetypal aspect of woman. This is not an abstraction; it becomes a magical act. I participate in expressing her soul. Sometimes I use the figure of a model and modify her psychological content to create a totally new being. She could be darker or lighter. It truly feels like the birthing of a soul. The sexual theme in my work is essentially archetypal. I see, revere and celebrate the eternal Lover. The social and psychological commentary is secondary. The ecstasy of life, love and the body is the primary theme. Yet, whether the impact of a painting is tragic, erotic, bittersweet, comical or shocking is of secondary importance. The only consideration is expressing the absolute power and beauty of the female archetype.     Biography: Jean-Paul Setlak was born and raised in France; arriving in the US in 1963. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Music, and later obtained a Master's in French Language & Literature from Arizona State University. He spend several years studying Neuro-Linguistic-Programming and has earned certification as a Practitioner and Master Programmer in NLP. Jean-Paul is the founder and director of an International Foreign Language Institute, located in Phoenix, Arizona. He is fluent in French, English, Spanish; conversant in Mandarin Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi, German, and Italian. As a multilingual teacher and writer, he has developed language and cultural programs in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Punjabi, and Chinese; and has traveled and lectured extensively in the United States and abroad. Ever on the quest for new fields of learning, Jean-Paul is a tenacious student and a dedicated and highly-qualified instructor. He is also a poet (in French and English) and a musical composer, as well as a teacher of deep Meditation, Tantric Yoga, and Taoist Energy Arts. He is the author of several books on language and spirituality, and is experienced public speaker who is both articulate and inspiring. Jean-Paul has evolved a unique and powerfully emotional painting style through more than two decades of dedication to art and technique.