Images For Android Phones: New Landscapes – 06.07.12
it’s raining outside
– like colors
and things
with shapes
i haven’t seen
It Has Been A Year Of Blogging – Some Thoughts I Wish To Share
2011 the year of blogging….
At the keyboard ... creativity, art, and prose
A beautiful journey…
It has been a very productive year. I started blogging a year ago in December of 2010. When I began this journey, I was not sure what I was getting into or what I could accomplish. I knew that it was my goal to reach out to others; to connect and express ideas; to work hard with integrity; and to love the process. I am thankful for the diversity of the internet and blogging in particular for providing this opportunity. Blogging is a challenge, yet quite rewarding. I am amazed at how the creative mindset, through blogging, can develop and extract the promise of intimate expression.
In the past year I have created 190 posts and over 100 new works of art. To my pleasure, I have had a modest amount of followers and subscribers, with over 7000 views. There were many who believed that what I had to say was pertinent, entertaining or of some value…
And for that I am surely grateful…
I appreciate all those who have taken the time out of their own busy blogging schedule to visit and comment.
Over the past year, I’ve come to meet some fascinating and creative writers, poets, artists, and individuals. I read. I listened. I absorbed; ideas that surprised me; thoughts that guided me; images that propelled me; and creativity that led to my own immersion. And in the end, the journey has been very satisfying for me … mentally, spiritually, and personally.
How has the past year been for you in respect to your blogging experience? Has it been fulfilling, or did other obligations dampen your output? Were you able to express the ideas, dreams, and hopes that captured your imagination? Did you discover you had an important voice and much to share? And as we approach 2012, what do you want to achieve in the upcoming year?
Do share.
And again, thank you for all your support.
Have a great holiday and New Year.
Peace and Light
Walter
Post Canvas and Paint 03: The Whipping Machine Acid Flex Dance Remix
The Whipping Machine Acid Flex Dance Remix 1989 / 2010
http://youtu.be/rvSKJjCkVx0 Youtube video
In continuing the Post Canvas and Paint series, I am presenting a video piece entitled The Whipping Machine Acid Flex Dance Remix 1989 / 2010. It is a video art abstraction created as a video segment of The Whipping Machine, a multi-media performance of modern dance theatre performed at The Painted Bride Art Center in June of 1989 in Philadelphia. Utilizing the Amiga 1000 computer and multi-layering soft and hardware effects, I explore the pulsating ambient rhythm of marbled abstraction. In this segment the video represents the mesmerizing intoxication and manipulation by the industrial complex on the masses. Today I am posting this piece as a reflection of our current political and economic struggles.
Stay informed and stand up to tyranny and deception.
A Day Like No Other to Find New Memories
Morning in Charleston SC
My first visit to Charleston was in 2005 during my two-person
exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery. It was my first time visiting the
city, and my first major exhibit in the state of South Carolina. The previous
year I had been awarded a week long artist residency at Barnwell State Park via
the South Carolina State Parks’ Artists Fellowship Program. This series created in the year
2010 is a reflection of the timeless and imaginary moments, found in the beauty of
morning, afternoon, and evening. As in my
previous posts, I am attempting to examine the relationship we have with memory
and place. I loved my visit to Charleston. I found it to be a beautiful, warm city
with great food, ambience and culture.
Afternoon in Charleston SC
A beautiful day in a new place is always an exciting moment of
exploration and renewal, and of recollection in an artist’s mind. Here as the
bright sun of the afternoon beckoned, there were shops, galleries, music halls, and
restaurants to meander lazily through. The South I found, can joyously bring out the
leisurely feeling in one’s step. But the highlight of
Charleston is the bay. Most of the area is filled with historic monuments. The
bay is expansive and walking next to the waves crashing on the sea wall was
exhilarating. It can be a beautiful afternoon of discovery indeed.
Evening in Charleston SC
As the afternoon turned to dusk, evening slowly approached. And in
that serene backdrop of the setting sun, there were floating memories of
friends, family and beautiful times gone by. The memories moved through the
color of evening and I found the night full of waking dreams.
Then and now I trust in the mystery of the day.
Where are the places that you visited for the first time
that has left lasting memories? What do you love about exploring new places? Do
you associate certain moments in your life, or loved ones with those places? If
so, please do share.
In memory of Robert Wulbrecht / a distinguished Highwire Artist
Robert working on translucent screens in preparation for the 19 American Artist exhibit in Berkgerk, Deventer in the Netherlands.
This post is dedicated to the memory of an artist that I came to know quite well during our stint as members of Highwire Gallery. The digital image I created here is from a photograph taken while several artists were preparing for the exhibit at the Bergkerk Gallery. There were a number of screens (I do believe three) that Robert created. When light was transmitted through the multiple screens they projected the image designed on the screens rather beautifully. One of my fondest memories of Robert was during our show at the Black Banana in downtown Philadelphia, January 7th 1994. Robert and I and fellow artist, Marita Fitzpatrick produced mixed media paintings and drawings. I created a video montage. During the time Robert and I knew one another we talked often about the creative arts, and its meaning and impact on our society.
Robert will be missed. His Spirit infused with love for life and art passed on from this plane of existence a few years back.
An alternative look at Robert in the process of creating the piece
Looking down from their ivy tower
The wealthy and the United States of Corporate America's historical assault on the middle class and the poor
I was communicating with a fellow artist who had indicated how frustrated she was with the state of our country, and decided to sell everything and move to Costa Rica to build a home, do organic farming, and participate in a re-foresting project. She is very happy, and I am proud of her for her commitment to the environment. But what about this assault on the middle class, on the poor, from Corporate America, the Tea Party, GOP and even some Democrats, and those who would strip the resources of our world, for their own self-gratification? How do we, the people, the true patriots fight back? I am appalled at the state of the union. And fearful. But not enough to stand down. The list of insidious machinations directed toward the dismantling of the middle class and the poor are many, and their origins date back decades even centuries. At the very heart of it all is the elimination of all the social constructs that the New Deal, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay movement, and most importantly—the right for all individuals to be free. It’s a tough world out there now. Let’s stand together, voice our dissent and rebel.
Reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery
Found art exhibit from the "Island" on the Delaware River
It has been an interesting past few days. Via Facebook, I have been able to start reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery. In the late 1980’s a group of artists joined together to create the Philadelphia Artists Cooperative which later became Highwire Gallery Inc. An innovative and cutting edge group of artists began finding unique places to exhibit their work in downtown Philadelphia. Some shows were in abandoned lumber yards and cathedrals, market places like the Reading Terminal, and various galleries, historical locales and even a found art exhibit on an island on the Delaware River. During this period, a bond among the artists, and a direction for the cooperative was formed. A permanent locale was founded in 1990 at the 2nd Street Art Building. The 2nd Street Art Building was a distinct hub of creativity with its housing of four galleries in Old City Philadelphia. Throughout the years and to this day Highwire, with its ever-changing host of artists, remains a vibrant and fresh creative force in Philadelphia.
I hope through this blog to connect with my fellow Highwire artists and invite them to talk about our experience together and their own creative pursuits since leaving the group. I am also interested in the thoughts and ideas of the artists that have sustained and promoted the co-op to this present day. As time evolves, it remains vitally important that our connection to our past is remembered, and that the ideas of those who hold the future of Highwire past through us all. In doing so we bring together as one, the words, vision, and thoughts that sustain us and the legacy of the Philadelphia Artist Cooperative.
The Mind in Conscious Meditation
From the series Chakra Flowers for Meditation 2009
The background image for my blog is one of the visual components for the final piece entitled: “The Mind in Conscious Meditation.” Over the past few years I have begun to meditate on the Dharma teachings of emptiness: the lack of independent or inherent existence. This is the ultimate nature or reality of all persons and phenomena. In 2009 I started a series of works entitled “Chakra Flowers for Meditation.” This series embodies the concept of mindfulness and nature as one–with flowers as one of its main abstract elements. Here is the final image in its completion.
An extraordinary weekend
a beautiful young lady pooh
This weekend has been very fruitful in many different ways. My daughter, Lady gave birth to a baby girl on Christmas day. What a beautiful thing on this sacred day. Shawn and Lady have decided to name her Ming Carter Ellis McFadden. I also found myself exploring new ground here on my blog. Discovering a great showcase theme for the blog and importing my own image for its background: elements from the piece entitled “The Mind in Conscious Meditation.” I will continue to edit the blog page until I incorporate all the components needed to create a beautiful and functional blog page.
First thoughts to my friend Leslee
The View from our mind
Hi Leslee,
What a powerful vehicle blogging will be for you. You are insightful and thoughtful in your perspectives on mindfulness. I will enjoy gaining wisdom from you and sharing my thoughts with you as well. While reading your first blog, I sat quietly for a moment and pondered on the pursuit of being one with our lives in all its fullness. It can be challenging to let go of our fears and attachments, however the journey and the enlightenment found therein is the most important thing.
Thanks again, and I hope our communication about ideas, art and life grow.
Your friend in Spirit and Love
Namaste
Walter
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 
