Poet William Carlos Williams wrote: so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. Consider a yellow chair and a green shed. In 1986 I pulled this sturdy oak chair from a dumpster on Franklin Street in downtown Manhattan. I carried it around the corner to my artContinue reading “Not the Daily News: ordinary life”
Tag Archives: western new york art
Words & Pictures: finding poetry everywhere
It’s April 3rd and we are into National Poetry Month. Tim posted this haiku on Facebook today: Morning and still,A little snow sweeping,Across the deck. I wrote a previous post about the three simple lines. Now and then I create what I call a “Picture and Word Box,” essentially an image with a haiku. IContinue reading “Words & Pictures: finding poetry everywhere”
Gone Painting: notes from a brief interview with J. Tim Raymond
So, you’re a ten year old kid living in Pennsylvania in 1955 and you receive a Jon Nagy Learn to Draw Outfit for Christmas. “I ignored the instruction book and just used the pencils and paper and other tools included in the kit,” he recalls. Back then he scanned popular magazines for pictures of soldiersContinue reading “Gone Painting: notes from a brief interview with J. Tim Raymond”
The Art of Naming: titles on paintings
“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” Attributed to Chinese philosopher, Confucious, more that 2000 years ago . . . the idea resonates even today. The wording of so many things recently has been reframed to shift meanings. Artists often randomly title their paintings after the fact–a title presents itselfContinue reading “The Art of Naming: titles on paintings”
Haiku: write three simple lines
We attended a class in Haiku poetry a few years ago. The approach from school days always stuck with me–write three lines of five syllables, seven, then five again. I have written a few through the years, but took more interest after the class. Tim and I have each written in journals, attempted essay andContinue reading “Haiku: write three simple lines”
The Underground: our basement studios
Transitioning work spaces from bright open second floor lofts to a dark basement was the tradeoff part of our move. In order to have the spacious surroundings outside, we opted for this change. The underground is loaded with cosmic symbolism. According to musician, Frank Zappa: “The mainstream comes to you, but you have to goContinue reading “The Underground: our basement studios”
Seasons: weather can be entertaining
We began living here the week before Christmas and had a big snowfall that weekend to give us the full lake effect of snow. These views from out our windows were endlessly inspiring. I made frozen ice “Charms” to hang outside from moulds of flowers and greens inside a heart-shaped pan. Everything becomes novel inContinue reading “Seasons: weather can be entertaining”
Hash Tags: labeling and naming,
I play around with different hashtags on Instagram. Lately, I have been using a few of note: #notpainting, #ordinarymagic, #lastingness, #artful. Life in transition remains creative and productive in different ways. I take a lot of pictures that represent the way I connect with things here and now. Ordinary and artful domestic life has dominatedContinue reading “Hash Tags: labeling and naming,”
Moving: one of the top five stressors in life
We have each moved quite a few times in our lives. This is my 25th. Tim had just about as many–living all over the country as a kid with a father in the Navy, including a time overseas. I moved just once during childhood–to another home a mile away when I was 10–this one timeContinue reading “Moving: one of the top five stressors in life”
Before and After: how change happens
Figuring out how to live seems to have involved a lot of learning that arises from comparison of then and now . . . before age 18, college, jobs, apartments, travel, relationships and after when all forms of gain and loss have been better understood. Tim and I had done a lot of these sortsContinue reading “Before and After: how change happens”
cottage industry 