Welcome to The Drishti Experience (Part 2 of 5)
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Look closely for the lightly placed pencil marks creating the compositional ground for this first large Drishti Painting.
This is the second in a series of 5 posts focused on my upcoming solo painting exhibit: The Drishti Experience - Capturing the Frequency of My Well-Being. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.
With my choices in symbols and colours covered in the last post, it’s now time to discuss the third component: composition.
The Importance of Composition
Composition is the groundwork of an abstract painting. And during the past few years of researching and formulating this series, I still felt unclear on the composition for this series.
This became truly evident with an exhibit of mine in West Vancouver where I was showing some medium format Drishti Paintings at the Silk Gallery. I realized that the composition was all over the place, but I showed them anyway–which certainly took some courage!
But rather than lose focus, I viewed these artworks as beautiful learning failures.
I knew that I wanted to capture a feeling of flow that I feel is an integral part of experiencing well-being, I just didn’t quite know how to best do that. I went to Lynn Valley and sat by the river, pondering this compositional conundrum. I felt that rivers had something to teach me. I also had yet to come upon the Fibonacci sequence.
What is the Fibonacci sequence?
The Fibonacci is a mathematical sequence in which each number is the sum of the two preceding it.
It is named after Leonardo Fibonacci, the 12th-century Italian mathematician who observed these number patterns in Nature.
Walking through the woods, he noticed that growth patterns in petals and leaves appeared universally consistent. When a certain plant sprouted from the ground, it would grow by 1 leaf, then 2 leaves, then 3, then 5, then 8, and so on.
This pattern of numbers eventually became known as the Fibonacci Sequence and, if you’re given any 3 consecutive numbers in the sequence, you can easily recognize the pattern. It’s a very special sequence that is truly crucial to Life.
Discovering Fibonacci
After returning home to Gabriola Island, a book I’d ordered from the library arrived. And as soon as I started reading The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life by Drunvalo Melchizedek, I couldn’t put it down.
He writes about how the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and other great monuments in Egypt, are positioned along the Nile River according to the Fibonacci sequence. With each structure representing a chakra, they served as guideposts along a path of transformation for students learning to access higher dimensions.
I realized that my own journey to well-being was linked with spiritual consciousness–and both involve a journey up the energy centres. So I was excited to discover that the Fibonacci sequence embodies this principle and has connections to a river as well!
A pattern for spiritual growth
The Fibonacci sequence is regarded as a fundamental blueprint to the universe in many spiritual traditions–for it appears in natural forms, from the spirals of galaxies to the arrangement of leaves on a plant.
This is seen as evidence of an underlying order or intelligence in the cosmos, suggesting that the universe is a reflection of a divine or spiritual consciousness.
The Fibonacci sequence can be interpreted as a metaphor for spiritual growth. Just as each number in the sequence builds on its predecessors, spiritual evolution is a process of continual growth, where each stage of consciousness builds on the experiences and lessons of the past. As well, the sequence heads inward to a focal point - a drishti - within itself. Just as on our healing journey we must learn to go within ourselves.
I learned that as I pursued a healing journey, it became synonymous with a spiritual one and that the more conscious I became, the better I felt in my life.
Show Information
The Drishti Experience – Capturing the Frequency of My Well-Being
Deb Chaney, Solo Exhibit, Amelia Douglas Gallery
November 7, 2025 – January 9, 2025
Seven large scale mixed media abstract paintings by Deb Chaney. Her latest work is inspired by her desire to experience and visually express the frequency of her well-being. This series sheds light on the link between healing mental illness and developing spiritual consciousness.
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 7, 4:30 PM–6:30 PM
Featuring live music and hors d'oeuvres
Artist Talk: TBA
Location
Amelia Douglas Gallery
Fourth Floor North, Douglas College
700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC V3M 5Z5
Gallery Hours
Monday–Friday: 10:00 AM–7:30 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Gallery Website