Tuesday, November 20, 2018

#335 • Keeping it Real


Normally I would make a big deal out of compiling a list of everybody and thing I am grateful for on Thanksgiving. But I do that every day. So this year I am going to take a leap and offer some advice instead.

There's a wonderful Native American tradition called "Talking Stick." One person holds a stick in hand. Whoever holds the stick speaks. No one else can interrupt. No peeps, guffaws, chuckling, smirking, nodding or other revealing body language, nothing. Total and complete silence and stillness. When that person is finished speaking, the stick is passed quietly to the next in the circle, or at the table, as in dinner table. Everyone has an opportunity to speak without interruption. Depending on the time of day or night, it might be prudent to have a timer on hand.

I offer this because friends and families will eventually fall into intense conversation. It's inevitable - these are intense times. And with the current state of affairs, there will be some honest opinions tossed out before it's too late to catch them and stuff them back down one's throat. In this day and age of edit and delete keyboarding, what one does or says out loud cannot be edited or deleted.

It is my sincerest wish that this planet, and all who live on it, are in a better place by the time next year. Too many people are suffering.

Keeping it Real • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $250

Friday, November 16, 2018

#334 • And Then Boom, It's Winter!



I'm thinking I really need to get a fall painting off, but am waiting for an inspiration brought on not by what I'm seeing, but what I'm feeling. The deep browns, blacks and maroons are mulching, I'm getting close, I can feel it moving around in my head, it's forming, I can almost see it now, my fingers begin to tingle, I reach for my paintbrush, and then BOOM, it's winter. Crap!

And Then Boom, It's Winter! • 8" x 8" acrylic framed to 12" x 12" • $250




Monday, November 12, 2018

#333 • Timepiece - Pondering Time, The Fourth Dimension


 

I went to a local shop and looked at clocks and watches for a while last week. During that time, I saw an antique watch in pieces. It was beautiful. And then I realized there was no battery in the mix. I had forgotten a time when watches were spring propelled. We wound them. It brought back memories of taking a minute to gently rotate the knob on the side of the watch case back and forth between my thumb and index finger. Such a soothing moment in time.


Of course, I then began to ponder time. You can't ponder time without getting into an explanation of the fourth dimension - which is time. It got complicated really quickly.


We can see the first three dimensions.

To explain, we begin with a point.
A point has no sides, no dimension. It only indicates an imaginary idea - a position in a system. A second point will indicate a different position, but it too has no sides or dimension.

The first dimension
When two points are joined - a line is formed. The object is now in the first dimension. It has length, but no width or depth.

The second dimension
If another line is across the first line, the object enters the second dimension. It has length and a width, but still no depth.

The third dimension
 If we take a two-dimensional object, like a piece of paper and roll it to form a tube, it is now a three-dimensional object. We actually fold the object through and into the third dimension. An object in the third dimension has length, width and now depth.

WE can see the first three dimensions - the line, the plane and the roll (cube), but not the fourth.

The fourth dimension 
 The fourth dimension can be described as duration, or time. If we stand in one place and then move to another place, we have jumped from the third dimension to the fourth.

So there you have it! Of course there are many dimensions - like 10 or 11. It's fascinating stuff. On one level I totally get it after watching a video 20 times. On another...uh yeah sure!

Pondering Time - 12 x 12 mixed media framed out in a floater frame • $350

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

#332 • Timepiece - It's Your Time




As boomers age, we seem to spend quite a bit time looking back. It's all about time. We are now over the halfway mark and are looking at less time ahead than behind. Some of the looking back is making sure we don't forget what we did, good and bad. Some of it is trying to reconcile behavior, good and bad, and maybe making amends if it's called for.

I think the Parkland students have reminded us of ourselves more than any other time since the anti war movement of the 60s. It forced us to look forward again. Many of us are parents and grandparents, so to some extent we are already doing that. But not enough.

When I was thinking about voting and how much I cherish the right and understand the obligation and responsibility in my old age, I remember there was a time I didn't. I didn't vote. I wasn't involved for a long time. I regret it now - it likely contributed to the challenges we as a country face today.

So to all, please vote. And to you young people out there, you don't want to have to look back and regret a time when you could have made a real difference. It's your time.

It's Your Time • 12" x 12" • mixed media framed out in floater frame • $350