Working on some more little birds — I’m making a point to cut out a couple of these every day before I begin work on other larger pieces. I usually run out of these at shows.. I’m using some of my coffee mugs that I’ve collected at thrift stores over the last couple years as inspiration for a couple of them.
Atchison State Lake, March, 2011. I’m looking forward to heading out into the countryside with my camera this weekend. Lots of new spring growth and fresh air that I need to take in.
I read a book on Sunday called “The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment” by Thaddeus Golas — I had picked it up (with a grain of salt) at the Lawrence Public Library book sale last fall. I’m not so sure a lazy mind (hence, a lazy man) could reach “enlightenment” — whatever that really means, and it was very obviously written in the early 70s with lots of reference to certain cultural ideas of that time.. Anyway, I underlined a few passages that I thought I could put down here:
“The way you see the world depends entirely on your own vibration level. When your vibration changes, the whole world will look different.”
“You take yourself with you wherever you go. As they say in Zen: If you can’t find it where you’re standing, where do you expect to wander in search of it?”
“We should give what we would expect to get, good or bad, in the same circumstance, and begin with the knowledge that all beings are equal.”
“When we are relating to beings whose vibrations are higher or lower than ours, we feel unstable and uncertain.”
“There is a good attitude to take towards any goal: It’s nice if it happens, nice if it doesn’t.”
1.5 x 2.5 inch paper cutting.
Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender.. and I added one more cup to sprout a couple sunflower seeds — I have a nice sunny corner in my yard where I think I can transplant them. I’ve got one growing already in my hibiscus tree pot by total accident — I dropped a seed in while feeding the squirrels and it sprouted.
2.5 x 4 inch paper cutting.
5 x 7 inch paper cutting.
Today I’m putting some finishing work on a few paper cuttings. Also working on a logo for a fellow from my hometown that’s opening a food truck in North Carolina.
Friday, I dropped off my work at the Lawrence Arts Center (Lawrence, KS) for their Annual Art Auction. I’m honored to be part of this exhibit and auction — there’s was lots of amazing artwork coming in while I was there..
Saturday, the “Paper Anniversary” exhibit opened at The View Arts Center in Old Forge, NY. I have 5 works in this show. I’ll be eager to see some photos since I couldn’t be there. One of the other artists in this exhibit, Carlos Molina from NYC, just happened to be vacationing in Denver last summer while I was at the Cherry Creek Arts Fest, and came to my tent and introduced himself. I’ve long admired his work and was slightly baffled when he told me his name. Small world — and now we’re in an exhibit together.
Sunday, I spent some time working on some ideas for new paper cuttings and animations. I also planted a window garden. I once (err, two years ago) decided to sprout some seeds and did so… about 175 of them, and became overwhelmed and ultimately killed every single plant (accidently – I had no idea what I was doing). So, this time, I am working with about 6 pots and 24 seeds — hopefully I can manage that.. Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender. The first two to cook with and the last just to smell.. New herbs and paper cuttings coming soon.
I watched “Yellow Submarine” (again) this afternoon.. one of these days, I shall coordinate time and test my limits with paper cut animation. I think it would be awesome to make something like Yellow Submarine with lots of abstract movement and colors and sound but with paper cuttings. I can’t really explain it but it’s an incredibly amazing feeling to sit back and watch my work come to life with movement and sound, and I don’t feel like I’ve even scratched the surface.. I’m working on some concepts for some more very short animations right now, so hopefully those will come along sooner than later.
11 x 14 inch paper cutting. See a larger version on Facebook. This is my donation to the Lawrence Arts Center annual art auction that takes place on April 14. The exhibit runs from Mar. 15 – Apr. 14. See more details about the auction HERE.
When the tag information for my donated piece was due, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do, so I decided that the first thing that popped into my mind would be the title. And as I got up to grab a cup of coffee after thinking this, the word “congruity” floated through my head.. So I got my coffee and sat down and googled it, because I wasn’t really sure what congruity meant, but I always try to trust my own mind, and it didn’t fail me. Of several definitions, “harmonious” was one, and so I went with it. FYI, the patterns in the flowers, which I’ve used before, are derived from microscopic images of living things. And so, the image is supposed to represent the harmony between all things in nature, large, as in space- hence the stars, and small, – the microscopic patterns.