30-Day Song Challenge: Day 01

My fellow blogger Amber introduced me to this challenge, she found on Facebook. Each day has a different theme. I am not sure if I will be able to keep the challenge going for the 30 days. I know at least one day challenge I will not be able to meet:

Day 08 – a song that you know all the words to.

Yes, I admit that I never tried to know all the words to any song. But there have certainly been some songs with words that I have come to love. I will make all my song choices from my current CD collection.

Anyway, I am listing the 30-day challenge below.

Thanks Amber.

First up my favorite song “Don’t Bother They’re Here”…. by Stars of the Lid.

http://youtu.be/0eeL6Uq9qgQ

stars of the lid

day 01 – your favorite song

day 02 – your least favorite song

day 03 – a song that makes you happy

day 04 – a song that makes you sad

day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone

day 06 – a song that reminds you of somewhere

day 07 – a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 – a song that you know all the words to

day 09 – a song that you can dance to

day 10 – a song that makes you fall asleep

day 11 – a song from your favorite band

day 12 – a song from a band you hate

day 13 – a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 – a song that no one would expect you to love

day 15 – a song that describes you

day 16 – a song that you used to love but now hate

day 17 – a song that you hear often on the radio

day 18 – a song that you wish you heard on the radio

day 19 – a song from your favorite album

day 20 – a song that you listen to when you’re angry

day 21 – a song that you listen to when you’re happy

day 22 – a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 – a song that you want to play at your wedding

day 24 – a song that you want to play at your funeral

day 25 – a song that makes you laugh

day 26 – a song that you can play on an instrument

day 27 – a song that you wish you could play

day 28 – a song that makes you feel guilty

day 29 – a song from your childhood

day 30 – your favorite song at this time last year

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.

Into the Timeless Blue Memory

What do we see when we face ourselves

Standing in the
timeless blue memory

What
do we discover?

Childhood Dreams / A Better Tomorrow / The
Memories Behind You…

Magic and Lost

She is only relevant

to a moment

in time…

The past…and

the memories behind you…

thinking back

softly infused…with

the starlight in her eyes….

 

He is only relevant

to his story

in time…

To the thought of himself

narcissistic and unending

with the memories behind him…

painfully infused…with

the starlight in her eyes….

The journey has its moments, but it is the end that
is the important thing.

This post is dedicated to the men and women who
endure the timeless blue memory found in love.

Into the Blue Imagination

Into the blue imagination / A Self Portrait

After working for a few hours on the digital collage for this post
entitled “Into the Blue Imagination”, I finally embraced its finality. It took some
patience, experimentation and moments of trial and error so to speak, to feel
totally satisfied.  Immediately after the completion of the piece, and while meditating
on its content, I found myself asking the question, what exactly in the name of art have I produced?

Sometimes you find the meaning to a work of art that
you created only after it is completed. During the process of creating there is
a desire to control its outcome. We as artists, at times want to have it all so
neatly packaged. We like to think that our pre-determined concepts and their
fulfillment in the piece is what make it successful. However, we also realize
there can be beauty in the unknown and an exhilarating joy in discovering it.

In reference to the joy of discovering the unknown, and simultaneously feeling complete, let me make
this observation….

The last element incorporated into the piece is the
portrait of me. It is a photograph taken over a decade ago when I had
dreadlocks. I am also facing the portrait as the shadowy figure in black. I am observing myself. This
prompted the question, what do we discover when we face ourselves? What do we see?

I did not attempt to instill any answers to this
question in this particular piece. How could I? The piece as I stated was
complete. The question, “what do we discover when we face ourselves” and the
possible answer or answers will have to wait until another time.

In conclusion….

Sometimes that is all that art is; a question that begs an answer, or our imagination seeking clarity.

Like a work of art, are you sometimes complete, even though there are questions to be answered?

Post Canvas and Paint 02: in the lightness of being blue

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As an artist, I am sometimes feeling a little blue and uncertain about to which idea I need to explore. It is then that I find the process of creating which I use in my ongoing Post Canvas and Paint series liberating. That ambiguity found “in the lightness of being blue” is washed away amid the beauty of finding an intuitive way of moving from one image to another.

In this particular Post Canvas and Paint series, I start with numerous paused video images of works from my past installations and performances. They are photographed or captured digitally and remixed for this series.

The color blue dominates the vision and feeling of the series. It is the starting element that embodies each image. While the color blue sets the mood for this particular Post Canvas and Paint series, what is consistent throughout all of them is the organic and the patterned designs. As I have stated in previous writings (artist summary @ website: newdigitalscapes.com) on the methodology of the series, it is my intent to remain true to the digital process i.e. recognizing and imploring the intricate, microtonal possibilities inherent to the computer. I take this approach by allowing the computer to contribute its infinite source of geometric abstractions, digital glitches, visual drones, disintegrating loops of color and focus, underlying beats and rhythms, and tonal variations.

The most important thing I would like to achieve in this process is establishing a rhythm in my own inner intuition—feeling the next step and incorporating it into the another image. This is the objective of the series i.e. for each image to move effortlessly to the next….

It is adding while becoming, and finally, being no different from the previous as a whole.

In the Reflective Mirror / Various Artistic Influences 04: searching for moments of meaning in a catalogue of events

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When searching for meaning in a catalogue of artistic events,
does one art form influence another?

Looking back through my history of art exhibits, shows, and performances,
I wonder how these events have influenced my art to date.  In pondering this rather profound question, I
also must ask how the art of others have influenced my work as well. Can I be,
as well as my art, a product of both a historical and contemporary mindset of various
artistic disciplines? Does art from such masters as Salvador Dali, or Matisse
in painting, or Rodin in sculpture, or performance and visual art from my peers
Lili White, Constance Kocs, or Paul Curci respectively, and the post-modern dance / avant-garde operas of Pina Bausch compel
the creative spark as well as say a musical performance by jazz artist John
Coltrane or minimalist Steve Reich?

As an artist, I’ve always thought it was extremely important
to be both creative and observant.  Art
flows through the eyes of the artist, into the interpreting mind, through the reflective
soul and back into world.

I began drawing and painting at an early age while listening
to “Soul” music from such artists as The Temptations, Sam and Dave, Diana Ross and
Marvin Gaye.  But in 1970 at age 14 while
browsing through my older cousins’ record collection, I came across two visually
stunning album covers. They were Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies and Miles Davis’
Kind of Blue. I had never heard of these musicians, but the combination of the on
stage black background and their psychedelic shirts full of abstract color led
me to investigate. The music was incredible. It was provocative, edgy, exploratory,
and new. Here is a perfect example of how visual stimulation of one kind led to
the discovery of something completely new in the form of sound and improvisational
composition.

Yes, with our imagination, one art form can influence the
discovery of another and how it is translated into a new vision.

Over the years, as I moved from painting to digital art, I continued
to maintain a traditional approach to my art while simultaneously embracing and
supplementing it with all things contemporary. I would like to think that my
digital art can and does incorporate the movement of dance in its lines, the conceptualization
of operatic design in its production, the intricate sound and improvisation of minimalism,
and jazz in its syncopated patterns.  And color…lots of color, insight, intuition,
and emotion—full of warmth, that when observed closely can be found in the arts
of old and new.

What do you think? As an artist, musician, poet, dancer,
patron, blogger, or lover of creativity, does one form of art influence
another?

For me it is interesting that as I explore this new
expression called blogging, my subliminal intent is to somehow have art
influence how I blog and the tool of blogging become part of the process of
creating art.

In the meantime enjoy the slide show: In the Reflective
Mirror / Various Artistic Influences 04: searching for moments of meaning in a
catalogue of events.

• Towards the Reflection of Art, Digital Artist,
  Walter Smith
• 19 American Artists, Highwire Gallery, Berkgerk,
  Deventer 1990
• Constance Kocs, Highwire Artist
• Meredith Monk: 1987 Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn
  Academy of Music
• Dance at BAM: Next Wave Festival , Digital Remix
  2011 Walter Smith
• Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal, Gebirge: 1984 Next Wave Festival,
  Brooklyn Academy of Music
• Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal, Arien: 1984 Next Wave Festival,
  Brooklyn Academy of Music
• Philadelphia Artists Cooperative (Highwire
  Gallery) founded 1987
• Sometimes in the Waking the Reality is More
  Pressing than the Dream, review, City Paper,
  2000
• Pina Bausch, Steve Reich, Next Wave Festival,
  Brooklyn Academy of Music
• Statements After the Arrest Under the Immorality
  Act, Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa
• Louvre, Paris, France 1990
• Lili White, Highwire Artist
• Paul Curci, Highwire Artist, City Paper
  Publisher, Philadelphia, Pa
• Steve Reich, minimalist composer
• Miles Davis, jazz composer
• Dance at BAM: Next Wave Festival , Digital Remix
  2011 Walter Smith
• The Birth
  of the Poet: 1985 Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, photo
  Beatriz Schiller,  Digital Remix 2011, Walter
  Smith
• Billie Holiday & Dechen Shak-Dagsay
• Stigmata, (Michael Davenport & George
  Wolstenholme) electronic music composers
• Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker,
  jazz composers
• Post Canvas and Paint Series 10.14.2010.8:07.a.m.
  Digital Artist, Walter Smith

The Pier and the Flower in Meditation

Above the shifting tides we stand upon the pier

This past week I have been seeing an image in my mind’s eye.
It is a beautiful, contemplative piece by artist and fellow blogger Leslee
Hare. The title of the work is Inner and Outer Tornadoes. I do recommend you
check out her blog and all of her posts. Needless to say, the atmospheric feeling
in the digital filtering of blue layers, along with her prose, were so
inspiring that it led me to this piece….

The Pier and the Flower in Meditation

I wanted to convey something that was similar to Leslee’s
piece. I wanted soft layering and an organic feeling, if not totally atmospheric.
But more importantly I wanted to reflect on the “cleansing” process that she
spoke of in reference to tornadoes. In my work, I see the pier as an opportunity
to step out into the unknown—above the waters of our fears and shifting emotional
tides.

What elemental forces or structural constructs give you
pause? What questions arise, what “pier” do you stand upon in meditation as you
face the reflection of your thoughts and emotions?

The Right Wing, its Proxy Media and the Rewriting of History

The Stars and Stripes

With the killing of Osama bin Laden, one would think there
would be a coming together in recognition of President Obama’s phenomenal and
precise political strategy. President Obama demonstrated a cool demeanor when
faced with a difficult decision. His intellectual prowess, his ability to
gather information and collaborate with his team of advisors in which to make
an informed decision is unmatched by any other president in recent history.

In contrast, George W. Bush and his lack of decisive
decision making in the capturing of Osama bin Laden is being rewritten for his
benefit by the Conservative Right Wing and its proxy media in the form of the
FOX news network.

Let us look at a few facts….

President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and their security team of advisors were informed up
to almost a year prior to 911 of an impending attack by Al Qaida by the CIA.
This information was ignored. After 911, when it was reported in December 2001,
that Osama bin Laden was possibly in Tora Bora, his commanders in the field in
Afghanistan requested more troops for a surge into Tora Bora. That request was
denied, and his special forces dismantled for a new mission, namely the
invasion of Iraq.

George W. Bush dropped the ball.

Without sounding the alarm of conspiracy theories involving
the Bush Administration, one does have to ask why Osama bin Laden was allowed
to remain free. In theory, Bush needed Bin Laden. He needed him as an
enemy. He needed a reason to justify the invasion of Iraq. If Bin Laden
had been captured, we would no longer have a reason to be in Iraq. It can be
verified that Bush and Cheney wanted to invade Iraq prior to 911. All they
needed was a reason to make it happen.  We now know that the reason for going to war in Iraq was a lie. At the
time of Tora Bora it was assumed by the Bush adminstration that 911 and the world’s number 1 terrorist, if still free, could facilitate a legitimate reason to invade Iraq.

Now with the recent killing of Osama bin Laden,
Conservatives, led by Peter King are trying to take credit. They are proposing
that extreme interrogation methods i.e. torture in the form of water boarding
provided vital information. Hmmm, funny how this form of torture was ended
nearly 5 years ago, yet the information that led to the targeting of Osama bin
Laden was just hanging around until now. But I digress. Truth is vital in the
writing of history. And it does a great disservice to all the men and women of
our armed forces and intelligent services that worked with integrity, utilizing
appropriate measures to gather information for the capturing and subsequent
killing of Osama bin Laden.

Shame on all, who dishonor what America stands for and who
would attempt to rewrite history to benefit those who got it wrong.

Let us be aware, of the truth.

The Conscious Light that Illuminates the Darkness of the Mind

Sunrise and the pier 2009

Waking up early during the summer of 2009, there was a
pervading need to see the sunrise. It was still dark, as the consciousness in
waking slowly came into being. In anticipation of a beautiful moment in time, I
found myself rushing to meet the light. Standing upon the pier, I witnessed the
beginning of a new day.

The mind has an opportunity to wake to a new consciousness
as well. Every day the mind finds itself surrounded in thinking and perpetual
thought. As I stood on the edge of the pier, watching the darkness fade away, I
was reminded of the beauty that is the Light that takes away all darkness. In
that moment, my mind felt the Light of Awareness as it responded to the ever
approaching rays of sunshine.

I stood quietly in a meditative state.

Sunrise and meditation 2009

Ever increasing awareness is obtained as the illumination in
the power of light over shadows the darkness of the mind.

Do you find moments in nature that like a sunrise brings a
greater sense of awareness? Does it provide a greater feeling of peace with
oneself and of knowing who you really are? Many of the great gurus of our time
have taught how important it is to find the path to greater self awareness and
knowing….

“Through the mind and intellect, consciousness is divided
into I and other.  I am on one side, and
the world is on the other. Light is on this side and the other side is dark”.

The Direct Experience of Truth

From the Discourses of Swami Parmanandji Maharaj

Final meditation 2009

In the Reflective Mirror / Various Artistic Influences 03: why ask questions about art

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What do you expect from art? How does art feel when it is
found? Where do you find art? Can art be here but not there? Is art on the
street? Why is art beautiful? Is art beautiful only when seen? Does art answer philosophical
questions? Does your child make art knowingly? Is art around the corner from
where you live? Do you dine near art? Is art inside your home, but not on your
wall? Can art be lost? Does art have longevity and sustainability? Is art your
religion? Is point A to point B art? Is art in an industrial park or in a
trailer park or in the park? Is art mobile? Is art agile? Is art sensitive unto
itself? Is art fragile? Does art have emotions? Is art dead?

What is modern art? What is post-modern art? What is
impressionism? What is expressionism? What is conceptualism? Is art abstract?
Is art figurative? Is art delineated by isms? Is art an analog tape loop? Is
art a digital sequence? Is art a light reflected? Is art a moment in time? Is
art a movement in contrast? Is art a reality unknown? Can art be more than it appears? Is
art a collection of artists? Is art a contract? Can art be voided, misplaced or
oppressed? Does art need to be more? Does art save the day? Can art save when it
has failed? Will art survive when it is destroyed? Does art breathe? Will art breathe
in us? Is art under water, in the sky, in a mother’s womb, or found bathed in silence?
Does art give birth? Is art alive?

What do you think? Why ask questions about art?

In the meantime enjoy the slide show: In the Reflective
Mirror / Various Artistic Influences.

• The Whipping Machine, Collective Enterprises
  Productions 1989, Painted Bride Art Center
• The Whipping Machine, Michael Davenport, Walter
  Smith, Van Grimes 1989
• The Whipping Machine, Painted Bride Art Center, 1989
  Philadelphia Pa.
• Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music
• Molissa Fenley and Dancers, Geologic Moments: Next
  Wave Festival 1986, original photo Marcus Leatherdale, digital remix Walter
  Smith
• Critics Pick, Solo Exhibition, Computer Art, Villanova Art Gallery 2001, Walter Smith & First Friday,
  Walter Smith, Robert Wulbrecht, Marita Fitzpatrick
• 2 Men 4 Walls 1 Month, Highwire Gallery 1991,
  Walter Smith & Mark Stolte
• Eiko & Koma’s New Moon Stories: Next Wave
  Festival 1986, original photo Marcus Leatherdale, digital remix Walter Smith
• Commodore Amiga Computer, Genesis of Computer Art 1985
• Michael Clark and Company: Next Wave Festival
  1986, original photo Marcus Leatherdale
• Ash Ra Tempel, The Gatherings Concert Series, St Mary’s Church,
  University of Pa.
• Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker: Next Wave Festival
  1986, Brooklyn Academy of Music 1986
• Scenes from CIVIL warS, Act v – the Rome
  section, by Robert Wilson and Philip Glass, original photo Peter Simon, digital
  remix Walter Smith
• Steve Roach, Ambient Music, & Relache, Philadelphia Ensemble for Contemporary
  Music, 1987
• John Cage: Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy
  of Music 1986, photo Peter Hujar
• Life and Stolen Innocence, Walter Smith, Highwire
  Gallery 1992, Philadelphia Pa
• Philip Glass: Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn
  Academy of Music 1986, original photo Lynn Davis, digital remix Walter Smith
• Robert Wilson: Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn
  Academy of Music 1986, original photo Peter Hujar, digital remix Walter Smith
• Impossible Theater Social Amnesia: Next Wave
  Festival 1986, original photo by Erik Kvalsvik, digital remix Walter Smith
• Merce Cunningham’s Summerspace  with scenery and costumes by Robert
  Rauschenberg, original photo by Jack Mitchell, digital remix Walter Smith
• Post Canvas and Paint Series 10.13.2010.6:48.a.m.
  Digital Artist, Walter Smith