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Archive for July, 2009

Presence

Posted in Quote, tagged on July 12, 2009| 1 Comment »

Presence

 

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.

— Marcel Proust

 

There’s truth in this.  Everything seems changed and fresh when looked at from a different perspective.  New eyes.

The difficulty comes in shedding the obscuring blindness caused by our own judgements, prejudices and self-righteousness.  

How can one obtain these new eyes?

How difficult is it to say that my point of view may not be always right, that there are other facets beyond mine in the prism that makes up this world?

Is that beyond me, beyond us?

 

 

 


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Take Heed

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , on July 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

DSC_1055 smallTake heed: You do not find what you do not seek.  -English Proverb

 

This is another piece from my solo exhibition at the West End Gallery in Corning , opening July 24.  The title of this painting is Take Heed, taken from the English proverb shown above, which serves as a reminder that we have the ability to set our own paths and destinations.  It seems that all too many people live their lives without any thought to where they want their lives to take them.  They simply take the path that is immediately before them , that which is easy.  They will never know what might be  off the path they follow, which is the path of others.

 

 


 


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The Technique of Mark Reep

Posted in Favorite Things, Technique/History, tagged on July 10, 2009| 3 Comments »

Mark ReepThis past week or so, on his blog, Dreams In Black and White, artist Mark Reep has documented his progress in finishing the piece shown here, The Nightingale’s Garden.  I highly recommend that anyone interested in the artistic process take a look to witness the effort and dedication required to achieve work of this caliber.

I have been a fan of Mark’s work for many years now and am constantly impressed with the quality and inventiveness of his work.  He has a look and technique that is his own and when I’m looking at his work I really get the feeling that I am looking at  the inner workings of his mind.  There’s an obsessive quality to the work, a sense that you know that work like this can only be produced by someone that is completely immersed and devoted to the vision.  There can be no half-hearted efforts with work this intricately and meticulously detailed.

Beautiful stuff.  

Mark is one of those artists who have been so consistent at such a high level for so many years that  his work is sometimes taken for granted by the people in our own area.  I don’t think they realize what they have in front of them, that these are pieces that will stand out for generations to come.  But many savvy collectors from around the country recognize this in his work and have made his work part of many fine collections.  Deservedly so.

You can see more of the work of Mark Reep by clicking on the link in the list to the right or go his blog by clicking on the  image of his above.

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Soul Lights

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , , , on July 9, 2009| 1 Comment »

DSC_1048 smallThis is a new piece, Soul Lights, that is part of my upcoming show that opens July 24th at the West End Gallery in Corning.  It is painted in my obsessionist style, one that I have mentioned in previous posts.

The title of this painting comes from the way the sky is formed from many patches of color and the way the light is formed therein.  It reminded me of one of the supposed byproducts of the string theory which is a very  speculative area of quantum physics.  Without going into the scientific basis for the theory ( which I really couldn’t do very well anyway), string theory basically creates a platform where extra dimensions could and may exist alongside the dimensions that we know and dwell within, without our knowledge of their existence.   A simplified example of how this might work is the way we are surrounded by radio signals all the time without our knowledge but with the proper receptor, a radio, they become apparent.  With string theory, perhaps there are also parallel dimensions around us without our knowledge, dimensions that contain others forms of energy, other forms of existence.

People have used this as theoretical basis for many things such as time travel, the existence of UFOs, and things supernatural such as ghosts and other spectral occurrences.  The string theory has been a very fertile field for science fiction writers to work.  

Perhaps it also provides a place where the soul, the source of energy that animates the body,  ultimately dwells.  Perhaps there is the energy of souls all around us in these alternative dimensions.  Maybe the photons we see are also the part, a facet, of something unseen.  That’s how I see the sky in this painting, as masses of disparate energies that we only see partially in the dimensions we can detect.

Okay, remember that it is early in the morning when I’m writing this.  I’m not smart enough to really discuss quantum physics.  I am not familiar with all the New Age-y spiritualism.   I’m just saying there is some form of energy out there in the light we see.  What it is, I surely don’t know.  In this painting I like to see it as light and energy of souls.  

And that makes me feel good…

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In Case of Fire

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged , on July 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

In Case Of Fire/ Align the PlanetsI mentioned before that I once printed and sold a few rock T-shirts many years back.  The only real positive that came from the experience was a long distance friendship that formed and has lasted for over twenty five years with a man from  Northern Ireland.  Over the years, my friend, Tom Robinson, and I have exchanged music, gifts ( I have a spectacular collection of Northern Ireland soccer jerseys) and many of the details of our lives.  It’s always good to hear from Tom.

I realized today that I had not mentioned in this blog that Tom’s son-in-law, Steve,  is the lead singer and guitarist for a band that is on the fast track for success on the British music scene.  The band  is In Case of Fire and this is the cover to their recently released CD, Align the Planets, which the band is currently promoting as they tour the UK .

It’s been really interesting to follow them through Tom’s letters over the last few years, to see how they evolved to their present state and how their dedication and hard work was rewarded as they signed with a major label and had a major CD release.  The reviews for their CD and their live performances have been great.  I will be following their progress and can’t wait to see how they further evolve.  They are a very serious group of guys who really want their music to say something to their listeners,  to be more than just sonic impact .  Their music and the subjects of their songs reflect this.  There is a strong social conscience in their stuff all propelled with an edgy progressive rock sound.

Here’s The Cleansing from the CD:

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New Precious

Posted in Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , , on July 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

New Precious This is a new painting that will be hanging at the West End Gallery at my next solo exhibit, Dispatches, which opens July 24.  This piece, titled New Precious, is painted in what I have termed an obsessionist style, a term that differentiates it from the style I use in much of my work.

I use the term obsession because it best describes the feeling I have when I’m painting these pieces.  There is a complete immersion in the painting and every stroke changes the piece and dictates the subsequent stroke.  It requires complete focus on the canvas to maintain wholeness throughout.  I really enjoy painting in this way,  enjoy the feeling of connecting so completely to the surface.

This particular piece has a very iconic feel, thus the title, New Precious.  By iconic, I mean the painting has a feeling of being presented as an object rather than a portrayal of a scene.  This is something I have always looked for in my painting.  I feel that this objectification gives the painting a physical presence when hanging on the wall that gives it a sense of weight and gravity.  I think these qualities, these intangibles,  contribute heavily to the first overall impression a piece makes on the viewer, which is the point where their determination of connection to the piece is often made.  This first impression is the gateway into the painting for many viewers.

It’s hard to tell if a piece succeeds in this way and impossible to plan such a result.  But I think it remains important to maintain the goal and  hope that occasionally the mark is met.

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The Pounding In My Head

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences, tagged on July 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

9909-177 The Aspirant's RoadThe Tree


I stood still and was a tree amid the wood,

Knowing the truth of things unseen before;

Of Daphne and the laurel bow

And that god-feasting couple old

that grew elm-oak amid the wold.

‘Twas not until the gods had been

Kindly entreated, and been brought within

Unto the hearth of their heart’s home

That they might do this wonder thing;

Nathless I have been a tree amid the wood

And many a new thing understood

That was rank folly to my head before.

-Ezra Pound

 

I read the poem above by Ezra Pound years ago and put it away, not thinking too much about it.  I recently came across it again and saw so much more in it that pertained to my own view of the world, especially given my use of the tree as a symbol for the self and knowledge.  Interesting.

Here’s another Pound piece that I love for it’s use of language and its sheer thump and rhythm:

Ancient Music

Winter is icummen in, 
Lhude sing Goddamm. 
Raineth drop and staineth slop, 
And how the wind doth ramm! 
Sing: Goddamm. 

Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us, 
An ague hath my ham. 
Freezeth river, turneth liver, 
Damn you, sing: Goddamm. 

Goddamm, Goddamm, ’tis why I am, Goddamm, 
So ‘gainst the winter’s balm. 

Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm. 
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM. 

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Quitters Never Win

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, Video, tagged , , on July 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Palin As much as I hate commenting on anything political in this blog and as much as I hate giving any more consideration to Sarah Palin, I couldn’t help myself this morning.  I don’t want to go into a whole spiel about her shortcomings ( I like to keep my posts short) or how her politics clash with mine.

No, rather I want to say that she has sold the American public a faulty bill of goods.

She sells herself as a maverick, tough and strong, but it seems to me, watching her these past several months, that she is all fluff.  Thin-skinned.  Hillary Clinton has absorbed infinitely more body blows through the years and she keeps fighting ahead.  Love her or hate her, Clinton will never be called a quitter.

Sarah Palin is a quitter.

And quitters never win.  Winners never quit.

Oh, you’ll hear the spin from the right and those who, for some unfathomable reason, viewed her as their voice that she is just being maverick-y.  Saving the Alaskan electorate oodles of cash by stepping aside and not doing as she claims all lame-duck governors do which is to travel on the public dime, promoting themselves.  As she has done for the past several months.  Wouldn’t it, therefore, be a more maverick gesture to say I am going to finish my term, especially in theses troubled times,  and do it to the fullest extent of my power?  Wouldn’t that best serve the Alaskan people?

No, Sarah Palin has chosen a self-serving path, one that will reward her with scads of cash and possibly a public pulpit that will lead to an even higher office.  That’s the story so far.  How it will play out is anyone’s guess.  As far as future public office, especially on a national level- we’ll know what we’re getting if we buy her bill of goods.

A quitter.

Don’t rule out that possibility.  As my Dad says- ” We’re the most gullible people on the face of the Earth.”

Here’s a little Dr. John to add a little punctuation…

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The Obligation

Posted in Current Events on July 4, 2009| 1 Comment »

fireworks-fourth-of-july-2 

 

There are two freedoms-

the false, where a man is free

to do what he likes; the true,

where he is free to do

what he ought.

 

-Charles Kingsley

 

 

 

 

 

 


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They Will Rock You

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged , on July 3, 2009| 5 Comments »

piperThere’s something about the sound of bagpipes that really kicks in for me.  I understand how the sound might not move and may even grate on many people.  It’s not a subtle sound and it either connects with you or it doesn’t.  For me, it instantly has the hair on the back of my neck up and alert.  There’s a real visceral impact.

One of my favorite pipe moments came in Alexandria several years back.  We were at Pat Troy’s, a popular tavern drinking a pint or two.  As the night turned into morning, the musician who had been playing, a real troubadour who could play anything you yelled out, said he was taking a break and turning the joint over to some players from the City of Alexandria Pipe Band.  Several fellows on the other side of the room shuffled around a bit and six pipers and four drummers appeared.

If you’ve ever heard such a sound in a small space, you’ll understand the sonic impact I’m talking about.  It just swelled and filled every crack and crevice, a huge powerful drone accompanied by the drummers’ rat-a-tats that banged off your sternum.  For me, it was heaven.  I didn’t want it to stop.  I think my sister wanted the agony to end as soon as possible.  That’s how the pipes are.

Here’s a neat video of a large pipe band performing Queen‘s We Will Rock You at the Edinburgh Tattoo.  There’s something pretty cool in that sound and the pageantry of it all.  Enjoy (or not)…

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