Rocks in the river

I was talking to a whitewater kayaking friend of mine who was expressing regret about his long hiatus from sculpture (he has a degree in sculpture and makes very cool large steel and wood structures). My friendly recommendation was that he should just start making something, anything, regardless of size. The important thing is to just get started by doing something creative, as a way to reconnect with the childhood joy of making something (simply for the sake of making it).



This summer, while skipping the flat rocks of the Kennebec river, I started to show some of the junior counselors how the slate and shale rocks would fracture into thinner stones for skipping. That demonstration lead to speculation about using harder rocks to do the job, which in turn lead to discussion about how well one rock would cut into another. It was a demonstration of the essential human tendency of simply play evolving into experimentation through creativity.



One of the junior counselors, noticing how well he could shape the stones, declared that he was going to make an arrow head. Recognizing the awesome possibility to turn a speculative text book history lesson from school into an actual connection with ancient humanity, I (as well as the other junior counselors) agreed to each make an arrow shaped rock, using only tools found on that small beach.



As youthful enthusiasm gave way to peer pressure for playing frisbee, the junior counselors finished their arrow heads and joined the rest of their group on the adjoining field. I could hear them explaining the playing/experimenting with rock that they were enjoying while they warmed up for a game of Ultimate. I picked up my stones to move within sight of the group, but continued to work. Since I had finished an arrow shape, I decided to draw with it. Then, I decided to draw ON it, with the first decoration that naturally occurred; a line in the middle. The next rock got a decoration that progressed from the first. It had the most common two-line decoration in human history, intersecting lines.

I wonder how many works of art are made with stone.
How many have intersecting lines?
How many started as play, and continued through experiment? (and is there a difference?)

new chaotic order

I don't know what to say about this one except that making it was about as ordered and chaotic as it looks.
It goes around and around in circles/cycles not quite sure about where the connections are, what the direction is, but there is still an order (in multiple dimensions)

a response to a student's question

"POSTmodernISM is often a B.S. talking point used as a feeble attempt by most people to seem like they are contemporary.
The "ism" makes it more BS than the silly "post" moniker, particularly if you are looking at a Derrida based deconstruction (he has said over and over that if his "deconstruction" ever became "deconstructionISM" then it would not be his intent or even nearly the same thing he has been talking about)

Check out Derrida, Lyotard, Nietzche, and pre Tibetan Buddhism (or preferably Taoist texts) and filter the contemporary rhetoric through those lenses.

A large concept is the idea that grand narratives are either not inclusive enough to explain everything, or simply human constructions that can't explain everything. Thus we are left with pluralism. But, the human tendency to want to explain everything in a neat package keeps rearing it's ugly head and people either make up more grand narratives to try to explain everything, or get frustrated and think that everything is nothing.

In my opinion, both extremes are foolish endeavors, motivated by desire, and as separate as the republican/democrat two-party political system we have here in the U.S. (two different parties,but still really the same shit)

Often, a misunderstanding of deconstruction and "post" modern is the same misunderstanding of both nihilism and buddism. The point is NOT to come to some sad realization that everything is a construct, thus a lie. It is to recognize that we (humans) construct our realities without awareness. A recognition of these constructions can be found (if you believe Derrida) through deconstructing them piece by piece, within each paradigms' own rules. A similar result can be found through the neo-Buddhist writing of Nietzche, particularly in his recognition of the "will to power", in so much as he is pointing out that we are creating our own realities. It's not magic. It's just awakening. Enlightenment is not a magical, physical thing. it's simply an awakening through awareness.

"postmodernism" has been a phrase used for a long time now and is, itself, full of smoke and mirrors. Explore every question for yourself. it's the only way to grow beyond catch phrases and popular distraction."

Last day of summer

baby boy born today

My new nephew was born tonight at about 10pm
Looks like he's a big one already.

flowrider fun

just a link for fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lHwDF0SzoA

Camp Kawanhee on Monhegan Island

Helping Camp Kawanhee is a wonderful experience. Not only do I get to teach drawing and watercolor techniques to interested campers, but it also is an opportunity to go on hikes around the island to see the cliffs, the cathedral woods, as well as swim in the ocean (brrrrrr), go on a beautiful boat ride, and be in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Below are two pictures of the campers who were in my class. We'll have a small show for them, displaying their art back at the base camp some time this week.


This guy was starting a drawing of Jaime Wyeth's house (formerly owned by Rockwell Kent).


Many of the campers focused their artistic efforts on the wreck of the D.T. Sheridan. Some of them did observational work, while others were inspired to illustrate their thoughts about what the ship wreck would have looked like as the boat ran aground in a storm.

I'll teach watercolor on Monhegan

I'm very excited that it all worked out, and I will be teaching four watercolor classes on Monhegan Island, Maine.

http://www.monhegan.com/070608.html

I used to attend Camp Kawanhee as a camper. They still go out to Monhegan for fishing and hiking trips. I have not been back to the island since 2001, and I look forward to have any excuse to visit this beautiful piece of land off the coast of Maine.

men's tshirts summer 2008

http://www.100waves.com/menstshirts2008.html

Process art

life as art

"stop and smell the roses"

No other way to say it than this



and if the embed doesn't work try this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERbvKrH-GC4

(special thanks to Jess, for digging this up on YouTube)