Holding You
Your soft breathing
and beating heart
caresses my sadness
and brings peace to my longing
– There is a moment when the reality of life, in all its complexity, is simplified by one gesture … holding you.
The Sunrise From Inside (A New Inner Vibrancy Remix)
At the start of a new day, the world inside … alive with promise.
Post Canvas and Paint: Variations | Fading Light with Mark Rothko
Today I had the pleasure of attending a Mark Rothko exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. The exhibit was entitled The Decisive Decade | 1940’s. The work was an exploration of his association with myth, and dreams leading up to his more prominent work in abstraction. It was a very informative exhibit. I was fortunate to have seen, years ago, an exhibit of his more well-known work from the 1950’s and beyond at a Philadelphia Museum of Art retrospective. I really like his work, as I do most of the abstract artists of that period. While viewing the exhibit at its conclusion, I felt inspired to perhaps again, start doing some large-scale painting. Something I have neglected to do over the years. His work in abstract painting, as he described it, was to fill his sense of deprivation. Deprivation was the central motivation for his abstract work. Hard to explain, but only the abstract could fill the mystical union of the unconscious and the formality of the outer world. Forming an entity unto itself in abstract terms. As I sat there and pondered the use of this medium and style of painting, I suddenly wanted to find the simplicity to express with my hands–outside the box of the computer. Simplicity being the center of this revelation. Bold flat colors, simple geometric forms in which to speak directly to the viewer. A contrast to my digital work perhaps. Which leads me to this piece “Fading Light with Mark Rothko”. It is a combination of the two worlds. Digital and painting. I often find myself pursuing visually an image of multiple themes and layers; ideas built around my personal experiences. One thing I discovered in this exhibit, was Rothko’s desire. A desire, in his pursuit of the abstract, to leave his personal interpretation behind, allowing the viewer to incorporate their own consciousness into the work. Again in this piece, I am searching for a more direct expression.
As part of this Post Canvas and Paint: Variations series, I will periodically be attempting to post a piece that leans toward a simple form of visual composition. I also will be using these posts as a place to experiment with the various Adobe Photoshop tools. Remember … “Nothing is ever collected in one moment”.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate | Fading Roses
Beauty, in all its delicacy fades and re-emerges.
art and thoughts remixed | an abstraction of historical things – when the world you’ve come to know is full of quiet moments | feb 1987
we may be showing again in May
309 north 3rd street
– portraits;
it was sudden
the conversation about art … and
the things we longed for …
and realities never collected in one moment
… we get to the meeting late
and everyone is leaving
but i am here
on the beach
on the pier
flowered in peaceful meditation
A Rewind: Paris | The River Seine
In 1990 I had the pleasure of going to Paris, France. I took the trip alone from the Netherlands. What an adventure seeing this beautiful city. I visited all the major museums in the city center along the river Seine. And of course the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter and surrounding areas. I will always remember that moment in front of the Nord, thinking I was a long way from home.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Green | Rafting
Green means whitewater rafting down a raging Nantahala River in a green raft.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Green | Lilies
Green means beautiful reflections and a pond of green lilies.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Green | The Park
This is an interesting challenge. And a challenge to post mainly because it is asking for a multiple of images per post. However, because I am using my phone to post to the challenge, I do not have the capability, or have not figured out, how to post multiple images. Sigh. So please bear with me with the single image.
Nothing brings green to the forefront like a park. This digital collage created in 1997, is one of my first large-scale (42″ x 48″) prints. I’ve always loved this piece. I took all the park photos in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia while biking and hiking. I combined them with archival photos of my family in Central Park and 4th of July picnics. Green dominates the feeling of the piece. Lush and beautiful. The Park 1997.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
A favorite form of renewal for me is meditation. The quiet process of becoming self-aware. Often in my meditation practice I bring my awareness to the energy centers of the body. Most notably defined as the chakras. The 4th chakra featured in this challenge of renewal is known as the heart chakra Anahata. Green is the color of this chakra. At the center of any kind of renewal is the heart. When this chakra is in balance, we are open to love, renewal and expression. This work of art is part of The Silence Series: Chakra Colors For Meditation.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Geometry
This piece is one of my favorites. In designing this digital collage I was attempting to bring the mind to a point of focus. Everlasting Consciousness. The Awareness of Light. This piece may not necessarily point to more traditional forms of geometric art. But I do believe it does perhaps achieve an ethereal, spacial, mathematical sensibility. Consciousness is design. Consciousness in its geometric form … is Divine.
a rewind: n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s: the abstract series (and some thoughts on joy and expression)
I recently published a small square, hard cover book of abstract digital art, poetry, and prose. What an exciting endeavor. The process was full of challenges, twists and turns (visually speaking), color, and contemplation. Many nights were spent with candles aflame, incense burning and music playing. In trying to find that inner connection, with all my experiences in life, I soon discovered the process that would motivate me unconditionally: Work with love. Work with intent. Art is a beautiful thing. Being in touch with the art of others is very inspiring and uplifting as well. As artists, writers, poets, and musicians we’ve come to love and appreciate the many vehicles for creative expression and community. Sharing our work is very important. Our blogs, books, exhibits, and performances are all vital in healing the soul of the planet. Our shared joys and tragedies find themselves being expressed and transformed via the beautiful and meaningful art that you and I create. Let us never forget, the significance of what we create, love and share.
New Landscapes: Winter – The Lost Beauty Of Incomplete Things
A journey so far
Miles from your arms
Cascading down
Falling like stars
The rocky spiral of moments
– lost
On the cliffs of Winter
And the bone shattering sadness
Found in the dark below
And in the watery grave …
The lost beauty
Of incomplete things
New Landscapes: Fall In Play 05 – Loop
One of the more exciting elements of mountain biking is going around in circles. Yes, the loop. Four miles. Eight miles. Sixteen miles. Ascending then descending. Round and round. Flashing by beautiful vistas; man-made lakes, mountain summits, and ridges. All swirling by your mind’s eye, without pause to the rewind. Let’s play on a Fall day … the loop de loop.
New Landscapes: Fall In Play 04 – Rewind
turn back the time
and remember when
– or how
you found the meaning
of things … misunderstood
– here
forward in time
in the day’s (f)all
in Autumn’s call
the rewind …
of place … memory
and state of mind
New Landscapes: Fall In Play 03 – Pause
After an hour of exploring the various ups and downs of the terrain, Nancy feels the need for a pause in play. Taking a moment to catch her breath and letting the beauty of the day sink it. Autumn has a way of bringing moments to a standstill. Allowing us to embrace a much-needed connection with ourselves. Its transformational essence can stimulate our senses and bring joy to our lives. Let’s pause in play and fall in love with the day.
New Landscapes: Fall In Play 02 – Start
Well here I am around noon today. My Trek bike and I are stationary on the ridge of a man-made lake which is under construction. Preparing for the first descent. It is a beautiful Fall day indeed. Mild temperatures and blue sunny skies. Mesmerizing and zen-like. Music on my Ipod; trance-like and meditative. Time to play. Lets start.
New Landscapes: Fall In Starlight
life on the edge
of everything remembered
– here
with the starlight
in your eyes
and the twilight
in the rainbow sky
New Landscapes: Fall In-Between
the narrow way
from
the descent
the broad way
– to it
Life in recovery through the colors of art
Finding the true self on the path of liberation …
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 