Thoughts on Light...

A quick addendum:

Give yourself a moment to read this blog entry. It contains good advice, a fine plan of action, and will prove helpful in righting some of the upset world around us.

My 2 cents...

And more.

If you're reading this, then you are luckier than a whole lot of people on the Gulf Coast. Be grateful, be generous. Click here and send a donation to the American Red Cross. It's the right thing to do.

This event will change the U.S. For better or worse, its in our hands.

Have a good evening, be nice to people, and remember those in need.

Relief on the way

Since I ranted so much in my earlier post, it's only fair that I acknowledge any positive action. So I took a quick look at what's happening during lunch, and read this.

It's a good beginning, and an optimistic sign amid much depressing news.

Good instead of Evil

Warning: this is going to qualify as a rant...

We watched the news last night, not a normal occurence, but wanted to see how the folks on the Gulf were fairing. Of course, awful, and it is terribly depressing. And led to a sleepless night.

Those people, those towns and cities, all of them need help desperately and NOW. Am I the only one that thinks King George and company have failed dismally in responding quickly and concisely? It's not time for words or platitudes or promises. It's time to act.

I'll state right now that I have no respect for King George, his cronies and all their peripheral support systems. He has facilitated more damage to this country and the world than can be repaired in a hundred years. He should be impeached and stripped of office on the charge of total incompetence alone, never mind all the lying and stealing and corruption that exists at all levels of his government. The man and the administration have no morals, ethics or compassion. And he will never rise above the mire, because the unholy trinity of government, business and mass media are all looking out for each other.

But I digress. Back to the Gulf Coast: That situation is unfathomable. The scale and depth of destruction and suffering is so huge that all the agencies involved have to be overwhelmed. This is not a local problem- it is regional and national. This is my question: why doesn't the federal government mobilize the military (all branches) and get them down there on the scene to HELP??? The military has the resources, manpower, training and equipment to effect positive change in those areas in a rapid manner. Lest you doubt: the military can provide expert direction and assistance in areas like field hospitals, sanitation, desalinazation and fresh water production, power generation and distribution, damage control and construction, food services, transportation, providing temporary and semi-permanent shelter...the list goes on. And you'll note I didn't even mention security (which is a little touchy when it comes to the military) But I can't think of a better use of the US military than to HELP its own citizens in a time of disaster.

One of my favorite sayings is "use your resources". Well, there you go. Wouldn't that resource be better used for Good (help and assistance for recovery) than Evil (going overseas and blowing up yet another country in support of a small group of rich old evil white guys fueled by greed and power)? What better possible use of a rapid response military force than to save untold thousands from misery, instead of imposing it on them.?

But what do I know? I'm fairly certain that won't happen, just as I am certain that you will see all manner of big companies (especially oil and insurance) profit from this disaster. It's just plain wrong. And very sad.

I wish those people well, and we'll do what we can. Other than that, we can all pray for a miracle to happen. Our government, which should be serving and protecting us, cannot be counted on. Yes, we will have to take care of ourselves. And we can.

A brief intermission

Day job work, then errands in the pm. Worked on K's loom (as in fixing a loom part, not weaving.) Then some time spent editing the latest film clips, soon to post I hope. A little blog reading. And these words from an article I read over the weekend: "War begins in our minds before it begins on the battlefields...we have to stop the war between our ears first." The source wasn't referenced, but it was someone at the UN I think. Finally, one little blog change.

And now, to sleep. Stay tuned, be well and be safe.

Working for half a living...

Good morning boys and girls, its the early edition of small ponderings. This necessitated by an early departure for work and a late return, at which time I'll be pooped and reduced to collapsing in my chair before bed.

To the left, let me introduce the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. I know this because after spending time in the meadow with them yesterday afternoon I decided to find out what they are. We are inundated with a bajillion dancing butterflies. These and the black females are the most prevalent this week, and a joy to watch. I decided yesterday evening after a long week with people to take my camera and film some of them and it was really something. You learn a lot when trying to do such a thing, such as direct experience of the word "flit". As in butterflies flit around...can you imagine trying to film such a uninhibited being? It is a zen exercise. But a healthy one at that. Anyways, I got some rough tape, which I'll edit and post as time allows. I'm not good enough at it to be efficient, so it takes a while.

Another interesting thing is this story on NPR this week. I'm interested in this type of artwork and person, so enjoyed it a good bit. Where are people like Henry Jacobs in this day and time? We need more of them.

Finally, the old UPS truck came rattling up to the top of the hill last evening bearing a delivery of a luscious new book: Roth Time, the art of Dieter Roth. I don't know much about him, but my goodness what a maker he was! I look forward to immersing myself in the book, and exploring the man.

So, that's it for me today...hi ho its off to work I go. Blogging may be sporadic, dependent on energy or if anything interesting happens during the next couple of weeks. It's nose to the grindstone time, end of summer classes at the school then a week of working to reset for the fall. Non-stop till the second week of Sept, then a moment to catch our breath before fall classes. I'm excited because the pace does change for a bit afterwords, and I will be able to get back into my clay studio.

Until next time, be cool and have fun!

The things I do...

So another day at work, after an insomniac night (reason unknown). When I don't get good rest, I can't connect the dots very well the next day. So here we are.

Came home, took a short nap, ate dinner then took a long walk with the doggies. It's was a beautiful evening. I swear this morning and tonight you could faintly smell a change (fall) in the air, but its not close yet. Around here, the tell-tale more than anything is the light quality during the day. Suddenly, it changes from Blue Ridge hazy to crystal clear. And then you know you better have the woodpile in good order.

After walking, spent a while working on some small paintings that will be part of a mix media piece. A little reading about writing screenplays (I want to do short docs and have to start somewhere) and soon to bed. An aside: I filmed an interview with Cap'n Rich Long last week, and looked at the raw footage and it was truly awful (my fault). I need to work on lighting, better sound, and actually create interview questions instead of just turning on the camera and having him talk and thinking I can edit it down to make some sense.

These are the things I do when I'm not working or in my clay studio.

Have a great tomorrow, it's auction night for me.

Another day in the life...

This will be a duplicate posting to my blogger site, just for comparison...

I had a crummy day at work. Not that anything happened that was particularly bad, but the day left me feeling washed out.

I think its the annual near end of the season malaise, though at least this year
I haven't gotten sick, thanks to better pacing and the magic of Lomatium every morning. We work hard to provide an environment for our students to maximize their studio time and exposure to not only their particular media, but many others as well. So my best energy and effort go towards making sure others have a great creative experience. I'm very good at it, but the downside is I often have little or nothing left for myself and my creative work. This not unusual for people in my situation,
(artists that work in arts environments in order to support themselves so they can work on their art) and it was even said first this week by Rachael. And we generally aren't good at coming up with balanced solutions.

So the answer tonight was come home, put a chicken on the coals, replace an outdoor floodlight fixture, go for a long walk with Lucy and Izzy, come back, eat some of said chicken with tabouleh salad, made with organic flat leaf parsley, some heirloom tomatos, a ton of garlic, some organic bulghur wheat, and a lemony lemon. All
consumed in front of the TV box while watching one of my favorite art videos, Andy Goldsworthy's River and Tides.

On my short list of artists I'd like to emulate in work habit, vision and attitude, Goldsworthy (here and here) is near the top. The main lesson I get from him is that the Art is always there, you just need to be able to see and feel it. And since he works in some pretty rugged circumstances, always focused on the work at hand, I find him to be an inspiring role model. If he can get up at 4am to build ice sculptures with his bare hands out on a windy beach, surely I can find a way to balance my days and get something made in the relative comfort of my studio and shop.

So, on that hopeful note I'll end the day. Tomorrow's another chance to get it right. Here's hoping for good things to happen to you.

Owls, cicadas and peepers are the soundtrack for the night. It's pleasant this evening, rain having given way to a cool mist that is enveloping our mountain top....

Thunderstorm blogging

Why? Because I can! Laptop, battery, and wireless. Let it rain!

I'm rapidly becoming a blogger convert. I'm testing it head to head with Userland, and its not even close after the weekend.

Have a great afternoon and be cool wherever you are.

Spider at Work

Busy Spider, 2am Sunday morning. The web was rippling in the breeze, suspended from a hanging bird feeder and connected to the deck railing. Done and gone by sunup. Ephemeral art.

Have a great evening!

Sunday Morning

This is what I like. Sit down, log in, write and post. No muss no fuss. From anywhere you might be.

Salon, my days with you are numbered...

Image test (in memory of Pavi)

And now, to see how easy it will be to post images:



my beloved big boy, I miss him badly today...

Remote blogging, etc

If this works, I'm ready to jump the Salon ship. In one hour I've been
able to navigate blogger software with more efficiency than Userland,
and, no problems uploading. Plus, I can do it from any machine and
email. Good stuff eh?

The opening salvo...

Due to my frustration with my Salon blog, I'm giving blogger a test run to see if it will be a better vehicle, which so far it is. I'll post to both for a while, and if Blogger performs better than Salon, then I'll do a full migration. Stay tuned for developments.