In a city built upon generations of history, it is no surprise that the cresting wave of visionary art finds itself following in the wake of the Fantastic Realist lineage in Vienna.  The recent opening and ongoing international exhibition filled the walls of the historic Galerie 10 with dazzling visions of otherworldly beauty, drawing a capacity crowd on opening night.  Attendees included many legendary artists from previous generations who set the foundations for this new light to pour through, opening long-awaited dialogues and bridging the gap between established and emerging artists.

Group photo with exhibiting and attending artists

Many of the exhibiting artists reveled in the opportunity to meet each other in the flesh for the first time after years of collaboration through online networks promoting the worldwide visionary art movement. The celebration of art and artist went long into the night, like a dream no one would choose to awaken from. This was destiny.

De Es Schwertberger, Michael Scheer & Amanda Sage delivering the opening presentation

The exhibition was called into being by Amanda Sage, who studied intensely with the master Ernst Fuchs in Austria for a decade. Her vision is to bridge the traditions of the fantastic realists into the emerging cultural phenomenon of the next generation of visionary artists. Delivering the opening speech for the exhibition was De Es Schwertberger, a legendary Viennese artist who has been evolving his magnificent visions for decades. Along with Amanda Sage, artist Dennis Konstantin and gallery owner Michael Scheer delivered an opening dialogue which set the tone for an exciting evening, and for a new era in the arts.

Dennis Konstantin, Aloria Weaver, David Heskin & Daniel Mirante

Group exhibition featuring: De Es Schwertberger, Amanda Sage, Leo Plaw, Dennis Konstantin, David Heskin, Aloria Weaver, Adam Scott Miller, Autumn Skye Morrison, Gregory Pettit, Daniel Mirante, Basia Wiacek & Emma Watkinson.

See the exhibition online at www.galerie10.at

Torri Superiore, Medieval Italian Ecovillage

Bringing together an international body of emerging artists to study in the lineage passed down from the Viennese grand master, Ernst Fuchs, this was a historic convergence nestled in a timeless valley of mythic proportions.  Among the 20 students present from all across Europe and North America, many are already exhibiting or emerging in the international visionary art world, further propelled by this opportunity to connect with a technique which is as spirited in its insights and applications as the visions which it brings to life through the synthesis of mind, hand and spirit.

The Bridge to the Painting Studio at Torri Superiore

At the core of this experience are the instructors who seek to bridge intuition and new ways of seeing with the ability to channel concepts into luminous manifestations of the art spirit.

Laurence Caruana, a Gnostic alchemist, scholar, author and mystical artist continues to solidly deliver the foundations of the Misch technique in his third year offering the seminar at Torri Superiore.  Through hands-on creativity and many multimedia presentations on the nature of visionary form and color, the class was brought into a higher and more refined awareness of the subtle nature of beauty in art, learning new ways to see the world we create through painting.

Amanda Sage worked with each student on one of the most intriguing subjects in art, the self portrait, challenging the artists to go beyond their preconceptions and truly observe themselves in the mirror, while being allowed the flexibility to develop complex color combinations which the Misch technique brings to life through multiple layers of transparent oil glazes.

Emma Watkinson Painting Her Self Portrait

Andrew Gonzalez welcomed eager students into the mysterious secrets of his delicate process with the airbrush, opening all new levels of possibility to the creative process through the most subtle techniques imaginable.  This trinity of master artists set the tone for an unforgettable experience in the studio, and held a high frequency for those who had come great distances to drink from the fountain of art.  Many seeds were planted over the three short weeks, and many possibilities dreamt of for future projects and convergences. Participants made full use of this fabled nexus by conducting interviews and group dialogues to catalogue the visionary art movement and its messages as these waves of vision crest upon the worldwide cultural shores.

Daniel Mirante (www.lila.info) and Andrew Gonzalez in dialogue at Torri Superiore

The seminar ended with a climactic exhibition of completed paintings and works in-progress at the eco-village of Torri Superiore, whose international inhabitants, guests and volunteers marveled at the brilliant expressions which manifested within the stone walls of this ancient palace. Students said their goodbyes as many returned to their homes and many traveled onward to visit further masterworks of the Italian Renaissance, and to Vienna, home of the Fuchs Villa, where the master’s works are on permanent exhibition.

A display of finished and in-progress student paintings at Torri Superiore.

For information on the seminar and the Misch technique, visit Laurence Caruana’s website:  www.lcaruana.com

Amanda Sage : www.amandasage.com

Andrew Gonzalez : www.sublimatrix.com

Laurence Caruana

With time, I’ve come to view my life as a gradual awakening to the Sacred.
Along the way, I’ve had powerful dreams and entheogenic experiences to inspire my art and vision. I’ve crossed paths with the Goddess in the guise of some very interesting women, and had the fortune of meeting my master in art through the personnage of Ernst Fuchs. I’ve lived variously in Toronto, Vienna, Malta and Munich. After twelve years in Paris, I recently moved to a farmhouse in Burgundy to further pursue permaculture. My life, at this point, is propelled by encounters with creative people, or travels to places where sacred awakenings can occur. So, I paint, lecture on art, publish articles and teach the Mischtechnik every summer at the eco-village of Torri Superiore, Italy.
www.LCaruana.com

Daniel Mirante

Daniel Mirante has been wandering the wilderness of the imagination for 32 years. He is fascinated with the exploration of mysticism, deep ecology, mythology, and creativity, especially painting. His art and writing have appeared worldwide in a variety of publications, websites, exhibitions and calendars.

In 2006 he apprenticed with Brigid Marlin in mische technique. He has been involved in several prominent visionary art exhibitions including The Interdimensional Art Show and Temple of Visions, L.A. His art can be viewed at www.danielmirante.com