Weekly Photo Challenge: Flowers 03
I found that exploring both the elements of design and abstraction simultaneously was quite challenging. I will in the future, continue this series in which natural design and computer design merge.
Flowers in purple bloom
Weekly Photo Challenge: Flowers 02
The images selected for the weekly photo challenge: flowers are a part of my Post Canvas and Paint series of 2010. I aspire to incorporate both natural imagery and symmetrical design in the series.
Flowers flowing freely
Weekly Photo Challenge: Flowers
Flowers sometimes reveal the most beautiful forms of abstract design. I am always searching for that intricate form of movement and color variation.
Flowers flowing within
Life on the Edge of Everything
Sometimes after the waking, life on the edge of everything is a beautiful place….
The tree and the path in quiet meditation
During a transitional period in the early turn of this century, I found
myself leaving behind the shackles of a difficult life and moving down the path
to a better tomorrow. I was rediscovering the pleasures of being one with
nature; my perception of it, its physical beauty and why there was a need for
it in my life. I also continued the process of self renewal through sobriety,
art, meditation and the teachings of Buddhism. It seems that I discovered how
to quiet the idea of living life on the
edge of nothingness i.e. being caught up in distraction, attachment,
endless thought and ego.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we
used when we created them”. …Albert Einstein
Part of this process was realized when I was awarded an artist
residency with the South Carolina State Parks. It was a week-long residency at
Barnwell State Park in which I was commissioned to document the park visually in
exchange of having the pleasure of residing in one of the cabins on the
grounds. It is a small wildlife park with a beautiful lake and an alligator
(which I unfortunately never did get the chance to see). The nights were quiet and peaceful, and very
beautiful—as I was surrounded with darkness, tranquility, and solitude.
“Those things that nature denied to human sight, she revealed to
the eyes of the soul”. …Ovid (43 BC-AD 17)
On one of my early morning walks, I found a lovely path that
meandered along-side a slow moving creek. There was a tree that had fallen,
slightly blocking the path, and I was fascinated with its natural abstract design.
I sat there quietly for a while thinking about my life, my art, my purpose and the beauty of the moment.
…”Nature. Whose sweet rains fall on just and unjust alike, will
have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silence
I may weep undetected. She will hang the night with stars so that I may walk
abroad in darkness without stumbling, and send the wind over my footprints so
that none may track me to my hurt: she will cleanse me in great waters, and
with bitter herbs make me whole”. …Oscar Wilde
Life on the edge of everything is a beautiful and safe place indeed…
Life on the Edge of Nothingness
Remove yourself from the painful past and uncertain future
Sometimes in the waking we often remember that life exist with its
own set of difficulties. It seems as if we are living in perpetual change and in
transitional states of being. We are confronted with interpersonal
relationships that need our undivided attention, support, and unwavering love—while
simultaneously we must seek solutions to a world struggling with civil,
political and social unrest. It is a monumental task at times to remove oneself
from the painful past and an uncertain future. But for the sake of the communities
we live in, and our children—we must
take that leap of faith i.e. believe in something greater than ourselves,
struggle against all odds, and see beyond living on the edge of nothingness.
This piece entitled “Remove Yourself from the Painful Past and
Uncertain Future” is a reminder of how we must move from one place to another
throughout our lives, both figuratively and literally. Sometimes there is pain involved in that move. I created this piece
back in 2003 when I was going through a period of personal change, and
recollection. It was one of a series of works that reflected on a transitional time
in my life, where I needed to migrate both physically and emotionally. Part of
that process was a physical move from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.
The other part of that move was internal—from a place on the edge of nothingness—to
a place on the edge of everything….
I found that a place on the edge of everything is a beautiful place indeed.
The Silence of Creativity
Towards the love within….
Creativity
Creativity 02
Where does the impetus for creativity come from? Is it a latent form of suppressed
experiences and / or emotions? When is creativity realized, and how is it manifested into what we call art?
As artists it is hard to imagine a world without art and the forces of creativity that fuel it. It is also at times difficult to understand the sensibilities that emerge from the soul when an idea comes into being i.e. its origin and purpose. Perhaps we can conclude with some ambiguity that creativity is indeed either individualistic, universal, or both—governed by the life one has lived or hope to live.
Creativity 03
Creativity 04
“The imagination imitates. It is the critical spirit that creates”. … Oscar Wilde 1854-1900
“Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge
yourself. If you are unhappy with anything…whatever is bringing you down, get
rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity,
your true self comes out”. … Tina Turner b. 1939
Creativity 05
Creativity 06
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You
imagine what you desire you will what you imagine and at last you create what
you will”. … George Bernard Shaw 1856 – 1950
Creativity 07
Creativity 08
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep”. … Scott Adams b. 1957
Sometimes I see things around me that are in part a glimpse of reality. The many “realities” that surround my life often become vehicles for abstraction through the creative process. They are like a multitude of intersections—full of possibilities. As artists we must always ask the question is this the direction I want to go? Will this convey the message I desire to express? But in the end we can only trust in the mystery of what is and what it means to create art and call oneself an artist.
Creativity 09
The Silence of Creativity and the Creative Journey Within
What are your thoughts? As an artist or writer or master of any creative discipline where do you believe creativity arises from? Please share your ideas and what inspires you to follow your imagination.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Mountains 02
Waterrock Knob, North Carolina
Waterrock Knob is a mountain peak in the U.S. state of North Carolina.It is the highest peak in the Plott Balsams and is the 16th highest mountain in the Eastern United States. It is the 15th highest of the 40 mountains in North Carolina over 6000 feet.
The mountain is split by both Haywood and Jackson counties in the western mountains of the state. It is located in the Plott Balsams mountain chain between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Great Balsam Mountains. The mountain’s summit is located within the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park Service unit.
The mountain is a popular destination with tourists and amateur hikers as it is easily accessible from the Parkway. A visitors center is located near its summit and a hiking trail leads to its top. The hiking trail and visitors center are manned and maintained by the National Park Service, part of the United States Department of the Interior.
This photograph was taken during a hike to the summit of the mountain. I love the view here. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful drive in which to cruise by car or bike.
Just Felt Like Posting a Work of Art / a tribute to my daughter
My daughter the model and the world behind you
A photograph of my daughter who as a teen did some modeling. This was around the time I was visiting Europe and Barbados. I wanted to post something, hence the title “Just Felt Like Posting a Work of Art”, and the first thing to come to mind was my daughter. Lady, as she was affectionately known, remains in my thoughts. I wake to her, and I fall to sleep with a dream of her. The title of the piece is “The World Behind You”. She certainly had a world full of life, beauty, and wonder in which she embraced with joy.
Rest in Peace my Lovely Daughter….
The Silence of Liberation
Toward the love within….
Silence
Silence 02
It is after 12 a.m. and I have just read a wonderful post by
fellow blogger Elizabeth—the author of the blog Mirth and Motivation on
Wordpress.com. I was so inspired by her thoughts and comments on the recent
tragedies in Norway, China and the death of Amy Winehouse, that I felt compelled
to create a post on her theme i.e. the need for silence, for understanding,
compassion and healing.
Silence 03
Silence 04
I am not going to say much about the events that occurred here
in this post, (the struggles of mankind as a community and we as individuals
speak for themselves) however, I would like to express my feelings, my
compassion, and the love of healing through
silence via my art.
Silence 05
Silence 06
Silence is a powerful tool. When we cultivate our inward
journey through meditation, contemplative thought and positive action, we
harness the energy to change ourselves and the world around us. For me, these
moments tonight of creative insight and sharing, in connection with my art and
the desire to send forth compassionate energy is liberating in of itself. I can feel the hurt that so many in our
communities are experiencing and my desire for their liberation and the end of
suffering goes out to a world in need.
In Buddhism we learn the need for Nirvana: the cessation of
unsatisfactory conditions and their causes.
Silence 07
Silence 08
I hope the images I have created and the music I selected
for this post help to bring some peace and positive recollection to our hearts
and minds.
http://youtu.be/K8-iTakhFrs — The Disintegration Loops III — William Basinski — Video by Bodyheaven
We are of one Source Energy, and one Spirit.
The Silence of Liberation and the Silence Within
Weekly Photo Challenge: Colorful 02
The Brooklyn Bridge in NYC
Continuing the theme for this week’s photo challenge: colorful, is again an early digital work. This piece is one of the first to incorporate photography and digital manipulation. I am combining marble paper digitally altered and a photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This piece was created in 1987.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Colorful
To be wrong I could be right
I thought that since this challenge was about things that are colorful, I would revisit some early digital work. Most of my early work were digital drawings using DigiPaint software. All of the work from this period could be seen as highly colorful and opague in its composition. This piece entitled “To be Wrong I could be Right” is the very first digital drawing I ever did. It was created in 1985.
Body Sequence of ‘Go Out and See’ 02 / Caving into the absolute darkness
An unearthed prehistoric stonewall some six feet high, built of rocks of
various sizes, is evidence that the cave was likely inhabited by aboriginal
people. It is unknown when the first settler entered Morril’s Cave, although it
has been written that settlers surely would have encountered the cave by the
beginning of the 1800’s. Nothing is known of the cave until it became the
property of Elias S. Worley. Locally, the cavern is often still referred to as
Worley Cave. A large amount of saltpeter was mined from the cave early in the
Civil War. A mill was operated in the early 1900’s where the stream exits at
the lower entrance of the cave. It was said that the stream’s volume was
“sufficient, even in severest drought, to turn the undershot wheel of a
large mill.”
Our journey begins on a very hot day, where the temperature outside the
cave is in the mid 90’s, however, inside the cave the temperature will stay all
year round at about 57 degrees. One of the first things we discover as we
proceed further into the cave are the beautiful rock formations and the
cloudburst that greets us as the contrasting air molecules meet and merge. There
are moments of intrepidity and excitement as we approach the day’s first big
challenge i.e. the 30 foot crawl between two rock formations. Not everyone was
willing to do it, however I jumped at the opportunity—or should I say crawled.
I love a physical challenge and the cave provided many opportunties. During the
course of our 3.5 hour journey we crawled, tunneled, climbed, waded through
water, descended and ascended nearly 180 feet while hiking 1.5 miles. We also
sat in absolute darkness. Sitting in absolute darkness with only the slight
sound of water drops was fascinating. It was quite the meditative moment. Our guide
informed us, that if you remained in this kind of darkness for 72 hours you
would become completely disoriented. After being in this kind of sensory
deprived environment for such a long time one would soon begin to hallucinate.
However, I must say that if you are a practitioner of meditation this is the
perfect setting for deep contemplation.
It was an enjoyable day for all of us on the tour. And if you are
physically able and daring, I highly recommend you try this. What do you think?
Does this sound like something you would do? Are there other challenges or
activities that you would like to conquer?
Our natural resources can provide the excitement and challenges that can
sustain the mind, body and Spirit. Go Out and See.
Art for Summer Vacations
- Art for Vacations / to journey without moving
Art for Summer Vacations
It is that time of the year when we vacation or if we have
the opportunity we “Get Out and See”. Summer
is here, and the temperature is rising. We search for that place to cool our
days and excite our senses. If we are lucky we travel to far off places and
discover ourselves anew while basking in the view of a beautiful sunrise or
sunset. We spend our afternoons lazily browsing small vintage shops, historical
sites, museums, gardens of beauty and restaurants of epicurean delights. I have
not travelled much abroad, but I am grateful to have visited both The
Netherlands and France during my 1990 group art exhibition in Deventer Holland.
These locales are wonderful places indeed, and I will never forget the
hospitality and kindness that I received throughout my journey. It is the
people that make a journey abroad so special.
Here in the states, I often carve out a weekend adventure
here or there. I enjoy outdoor activities that test my physical being, and challenge
my sense of adventure. I also like to seek out places that provide emotional
recovery through meditative contemplation and recollection. This is vital for restoration.
I feel a great vacation should always provide moments of excitement and serenity….
What do you think? Where are some of your favorite places to
vacation? What do you seek out most when planning a vacation? Is it to find
adventure or is it to just relax? Do you prefer travels abroad or weekends
close to home? Please share your thoughts.
The art work that I have included in this post, are expressions
of the theme I call “Art for Summer Vacations”. The first piece “Vacation / a
journey without moving” is a collage of photographs I took as I travelled to the
city of Amsterdam, the town of Deventer (both in The Netherlands), the shores
of Cape Cod and Nantucket, and the mountains of North Carolina. The second
image entitled “Summer and its Warm Embrace” is a journey through mountains,
lakes and trails in NC, SC and TN during
personal hikes and an artist residency provided by the South Carolina State
Parks.
- Summer and its Warm Embrace
The Fun House @ Highwire Gallery: 1991 / Dreaming in Future Tense / a 2011 remix
“Sometimes we turn the pages in the Book of Memories and come to remember the children who dream in future tense”…..
The Highwire Gallery production of The Fun House
workshop began in March 1991 at the Sayre Morris Community Center in West
Philadelphia and concluded with a performance in May. Funded by the PA Council
on the Arts, the goal was to bring together a group of children and introduce
them to the arts. Our focus would be on dance, performance, music and the visual
arts. Another important part of the workshop was for it to be a community
service, which merged different ethnic backgrounds and communities. For the
eleven girls who participated in the workshop, the hope was to inspire personal
challenges and the pursuit of their dreams. Everyone involved, the artists of
Highwire Gallery, the kids, Empress our musical director, Sandra Lynn our choreographer,
and “DADA” (Dancers Against Drug Abuse) met the challenge and worked hard to
make the program a huge success.
How do we encourage our children to dream, a dream that
inspires, enriches and motivates them to reach for the sky, and to touch just one of the millions of snowflakes that
can be found in the realm of possibilities? How do we lead them by the hand,
through the garden of hopes and dreams?
The Kids at Sandy Beach 2011
I think we do it one child at a time, one school at a time, one
project at a time, and as one community. Children love to discover, and be creative.
I strongly believe that the arts will provide them with the tools they will need for exploring their
imagination and giving birth to their dreams.
What do you feel is our children’s greatest need? What resources in our society would you like to see be provided for the well being and growth of our children? Do you believe that the arts, especially at a young age, is a vital tool for encouraging creative thinking and problem solving?
What do you think?
Select the link below for a dream-like journey into a contemporary child’s lullaby.
Winter Poem by Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
— Author and poet Nikki Giovanni
From “The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni”
And last but not least in this journey of dreams…a short animation.
Out Tonight 1989 / 2009 remix
Out Tonight / video still / digital collage 2011
Bonus song: The Smiths – There is a light that never goes out
Out Tonight, the video, was first created in 1989 and mixed with the music of The Smiths and the song “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”. The video was originally conceived as a reflection of 80’s New Wave music, the club scene, and chillin out. But I wanted to add something more, and therefore centered its theme on the possible controversy, yet beauty of interracial dating. The texts used in the video, I thought I knew what would make you smile tonight ask the question of devotion, and statements after an arrest under the immorality act reveals the possible (most notably in the past) consequence. I was inspired to produce this video after seeing the play entitled “Statements after an Arrest under the Immorality Act” by South African playwright Athol Fugard. In the play, Fugard examined with a visceral intensity the consequences of interracial love during apartheid in South Africa. I believe that it is extremely important that we reach out and lead by example, demonstrating that love is universal and that we are all of one race i.e. the human race—diverse, complex, and beautiful.
Love has no boundaries.
The video was created using an Amiga 1000 computer with a Digital Creations’ Super Gen video mixer. Way ahead of its time, the Amiga 1000, which was first introduced to the public in 1985, was an extraordinary machine equipped with music, video and graphic cards. The 2009 version of Out Tonight is remixed with music by Nine Inch Nails.
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.
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
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.
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 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 02: Music Playlist
10. 13. 2010 6:49 a.m. Post Canvas and Paint series
In continuing the theme of various artistic influences, I
need to first address the musical aspect of the reflective mirror of my
creative journey past and present. These
posts are simple playlists of music from the past and present that have had
significant influence on my art. In doing these musical playlists and
reviews (some of the reviews are by music critics and fans of the artists), I
hope to introduce my readers to new and exciting music.
- CD: Xerrox Vol. 2 – Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai):
released Dec 01 2008, Genre Electronic
Reproduction, alteration and decay are the main focuses of
Alva Noto’s Xerrox series: the music consists of samples altered by inserting
noise through several rounds of copying. The resulting tracks seem to atomizing be
before your ears, with an occasional effort to coalesce. Where Vol. 1 offered a
sequence of alternating short raw pieces and mid-length ambient tracks, Vol. 2
presents itself as a more even and almost continuous suite of pieces. Vol. 1
was subtitled “Old World”, this one is “To the New World”, but the meaning of
those subtitles remain obscure and might very well be restricted to the
geographical origins of the samples (provided this time around by Stephen O”Malley,
Michael Nyman and Ryuichi Sakamoto). You can either study the copying/decaying
processes used by Carsten Nicolai, or simply dive into this soundworld of
gritty textures, glitch pulses, and skeletal pieces whiteout melodies.
~ Francois Couture, Rovi
I find Alva Noto solo works, and his collaborations with
Ryuichi Sakamoto to be quite beautiful. The technical production quality is
incredibly intricate and well mastered. The music transports you to a world of
micro-tonal sound that envelops and loops itself almost to noise, while
sustaining the mood of silence and space.
Each post under this musical series is accompanied by an image
from my Post Canvas and Paint series. I feel that this particular style of
Electronic music, both the earlier analog space music and the present digital
IDM lends itself quite well to the style of work in the Post Canvas and Paint series.
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 