Barnsey just created these inspiring prints!
Barnsey’s work manifests the inner spirit of totemic beings, married with geometric patterns alluding to the mystical forms which often arise in the process of contemplation. There is a refined sensitivity present in his artwork which seems to suggest an influence from beyond the mundane. Josh makes a practice of aligning himself with positive forces which rise through his hand into elegant imagery which channel pure forces of nature.
Among indigenous peoples worldwide, a naturalistic system of spirituality is often found. Animism is rooted in the belief that non-human entities possess a inner spiritual essence. This essence is often seen as present and revealed in the forms of animals, plants, stones and everything else in nature, including the weather.
For example, among the Algonquins of North America, Manitou is the name for the spiritual life force which manifests throughout all things. It is omnipresent and immanent. There are plant manitous, lake and stone manitous, – even a great manitou; the Geechee Manitou, representing the Supreme Being. Among the Shinto path of the Japanese, the Kami are spirits of nature which are present within wind, thunder, the sun, rocks and certain animals. Some Kami are also ancestral spirits, whose bodies rest within the land, dreaming.
In this worldview, matter and spirit are one, rather than being distinct and separate from each other. Animals and plants are people, and when the intelligences of nature manifest shamanically in a visionary state they sometimes emerge in forms which integrate multiple plant and animal attributes. This is to represent the unity of nature and the interdependent relationships between beings in an ecosystem.
Barnsey hails from the northwest coast of America, where things are incredibly lush, and nature is everywhere. His art reflects a deep, intuitive understanding of the innate beauty of sacred nature.
