IN THE MIND
In the first few seconds of his work on a new painting, Masri aims with color and gesture to set on a canvas free of preparatory guidelines the essence of a fleeting, “primal” emotion which he feels privileged to apprehend. In an act of humble duty, as though “noblesse oblige,” Masri exerts his entire body, heart and soul to depict the moment accurately, together with its “pulse,” in order to record, share, and teach to others these elements of ”heightened reality” which tell the truth. He maintains a lively rhythmic beat, usually with the sound of Vivaldi’s music playing and the image of an abstract linear pattern in view.
Thus his energy flows freely into an ordered image, which becomes a living partner to which he continually reacts and responds. The rapidity is essential in his technique, to transcribe the revelatory details of what he at once imagines/ feels and recalls concretely from his exposure to the extremes of life. In slower motion, the reality and meaning of the glimpse can be obscured or lost. However, as Masri’s vision evolves and expands in everyday life, he often returns to the same canvas for up to months, each time seeing it anew, and adjusting/ balancing it accordingly. It is complete when the total experience is recorded.
