Lola Jovan Art Musings and Random Thoughts

Inward Exploration

5/5/2025

Inward Exploration

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"Inward Exploration" - oil on copper panel, 9 x 12 inches. This item is unframed. (click on the image to purchase)

“Exploration...no longer seemed aimed at some outward discovery; rather, it was directed inward...”
― David Grann, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

We just returned from nearly a week of exploring the Olympic Peninsula, where the cliffs were rugged, the sea-stacks massive and the tide-pools endlessly fascinating. And you'd think all that exploration was outward, but it was not.

There is so much inward exploration when the body is moving outside of its element - whether scrambling down a steep cliff hanging on to a rope, jumping mollusk-covered rocks through the tides or climbing boulders to see what's around the next cove - the mind decides to explore as well. Sometimes I think the only way to get outside of my daily thoughts is to put my body outside of its daily habitat. I can think bigger, deeper, and more purposefully.

And though our explorations are nothing like Colonel Percy Fawcett's many journeys to the Amazon jungle, I can see and understand why his inner self became more inward facing even as his body became more outward exploring. Fawcett disappeared in the jungle, never to be heard from again. Now, rest assured that is not our plan. No, no, no! But it would be ok if some of my mental thought habits were left behind in the tides or suspended from a cliff. I wouldn't miss those one bit.

About the art: the wickedly glorious copper panel makes a return here, with a portrait embracing a limited color palette. Beginning with a quick sketch with a brush laden with thinned oil paint, then working from the sunglasses outward. Resisting the urge to overly separate shoulder and hair (right side) from background so the focus remains on those dazzling spectacles and the adornment on her neck. The sunglasses suggest she is outside, while her hidden eyes point to her inward focus. The hair was created by carving back through wet paint with a tiny rubber wedge, allowing the copper substrate to come through as hair highlights.

The May Reader Giveaway continues! Leave a comment on any blog post this month to be automatically entered to win a piece of original art - FREE! And thanks so much to everyone who reads, comments and shares this blog. I so appreciate each and everyone of you! xo

13 Comments

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Lola Jovan

Dotty Seiter

5/4/2025 05:52:11 pm

oh my gosh, you totally nailed this, Lola! "Inny," as I've nicknamed her, is perfection here, with the lift of chin, the eyebrow lifts, the messy I-don't-have-time-to-fuss-with-outer-appearance gathering of hair into pony tails could not be better! And the reflective glasses are inspired, especially since they're perched just S L I G H T L Y askew!!

Your Olympic Peninsula explorations sounded fabulous.

lola

5/5/2025 04:06:57 pm

Dotty!!! "Inny" - omg I love that! Thank you! And thank you for noticing her "I-don't-have-time-to-fuss" attitude. I wonder how much time we spend fussing with appearances? I think more than I would care to.

And OMG! Do you love tide-pools? If so, you would swoon up there at the Olympic Peninsula!!! xoxoxo

Thea link

5/5/2025 12:05:12 pm

Hi Lola,
Your post on inward and outward exploration got me thinking... thank you. Thinking about Proust. And how he supposedly rarely left his cork-lined apartment, never mind leaving Paris. And how that was just fine by him -perhaps because he was exploring within. Proust was the one who said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." And that consoles me when I am to cozy or lazy to get on a plane these days. But you also remind me of the necessity of having our bodies in motion out in the elements if possible. For me, it just whisks the temporary chaos away and I can see straight again. What do you think? Maybe Proust needed a good hike to see a tide pool?

Carl

5/5/2025 02:01:55 pm

Oh and BTW the painting is smashing. I’m on a bit of a faces and portraits journey myself these days. Your are inspirational.

5/5/2025 04:10:55 pm

Carl, thank you. I am so enjoying watching your journey in portraiture! You are smashing it!

5/5/2025 04:10:22 pm

Thea!!!! So that is a very good question. Proust was so right - having new eyes is what the exploration is all about. Perhaps, for him, having new eyes was something he did not need a catalyst to obtain? Perhaps he was already firmly grounded within his body?

For me, novice/amateur/beginner-human that I feel like when it comes to managing my inward exploration, my body has to be busy, busy, busy for me to clear my head enough to have new eyes.

How about you? What leads you to inward exploration? (And I am totally with you on feeling too cozy to get on a plane) xoxoxo

5/5/2025 02:00:28 pm

Yes! I found the same most notably when I was on Loggerhead Key for the residency. 30 days Miles’s and miles from civilization. No internet, news or noise from the outside world. The internal explorations that took place under that starry night sky. Change me and my perception of the world forever. It was profound.

5/5/2025 04:12:18 pm

Carl!!! I lived vicariously through you when you were on Loggerhead Key. I still seek that seclusion from internet, news and noise. Hard to attain without going somewhere far away.

Your images of the night sky there are jaw-dropping. Do you still feel that awe when you look at them? xoxo

Carl Stoveland

5/5/2025 04:18:24 pm

To answer your question. Yes I see them occasionally and am still really chuffed by them. MilkyvWay season is here again. New Moon is in late May. I have an idea for a special milkyway shot.

Sara Van Horn

5/5/2025 02:10:23 pm

Oh my gosh, I completely got the reading that the sunglasses gave the impression of outside exploration while keep her thoughts within! I love it! What a perfect representation!

This is wonderful, Lola! I love the idea of outside exploration encouraging inside exploration! It's like seeking new adventures and insights into the world around you to move into new ways of thinking. What a beautiful idea and so positive!

There's so much negativity online right now that is impossible not to see. Getting away and reconnecting with the world and avoiding some of that negativity is beautiful! It's hard to break free of intrusive thoughts when you are constantly surrounded by stale reminders. I need to take a page from your book and try this myself. I've been trapped inside in my thoughts for too long. A change of perspective and venue could help blossom into a whole new world that translates inside the home and heart!

You've given me some hopeful inspiration today. I really love you, your heart and art! You are such a breath of fresh air and encouragement! Thank you for your weekly dose of positivity and deep thought!

5/5/2025 04:16:00 pm

Sara!!! I am a bit tear at reading your words...love you, too, dear friend. Your heart, your instincts and intuition when it comes to art and your tenderness in the world.

"It's hard to break free of intrusive thoughts when you are constantly surrounded by stale reminders" - whoa! Those words stopped me in my tracks! YES! I am not practiced enough to free myself from those stale reminders without moving my body somewhere else. But with enough practice, I hope to be more like Proust (see Thea's comment above).

Thank YOU for reading, reflecting and commenting. It means so much to me!

I cannot help but wonder...if you could go anywhere in the world to gain a new perspective, where would you like to go? xoxox

Carol Edan

5/7/2025 03:45:56 am

"I think the only way to get outside of my daily thoughts is to put my body outside of its daily habitat." This really resonates, although I don't exploring much these days, follow you on yours. Even a shopping trip to the local mall helps.
Love her " who cares attitude", I am currently in my PJ. Her glasses tell it all! Love her muted tones, she can say it without shouting!

5/8/2025 02:47:17 pm

Carol!!! You are SO right - even a shopping trip can help jump start our thought patterns. YES! If you could go-a-wandering, where would you like to go?

And thank you - I love your description - "she can say it without shouting"! Perfection! xo

Inward Exploration

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