Thursday, September 10, 2009

The local whacko

This morning I dropped-off three little paintings of mine that are going into a small local show this coming Saturday.
Now, I live in a wonderful community that's full of creative people--painters, photographers, weavers, potters, etc.. and I'm proud to be included in any local arts activities, but I have to tell you, I'm getting a bit tired of being the artist that NOBODY KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH.

When I lived in Toronto, my art was considered "edgy". Around HERE, my art usually draws about as much enthusiasm as a freshly-killed skunk in the middle of the road. Noses twitch, eyebrows are raised, people back-off slowly, probably thinking a slow retreat is easier than trying to come-up with a positive comment.

So I placed my three little paintings on a ledge, beside another artist's beautiful rendering of flowers and beside a photographer's gorgeous image of a sunset in the Niagara Escarpment. And I started to wonder if my paintings "cancel-out" the sheer loveliness of the other artists' works.

And I decided that life isn't all about beauty and that our planet needs constant balancing and re-alignment so that ALL of its energies (positive and negative) balance and compliment each other.

I mean, SOMEBODY'S got to expose what's living underneath the rocks, right?

I'm off to paint now. There's a squashed porcupine on the highway, right in front of my house, and I'm feeling inspired.....

Monday, September 7, 2009

I blog therefore I am

Did ya ever see the Steve Martin movie "The Jerk"? Steve Martin plays a character who's, well, a JERK, and at one point the dude gets INSANELY happy cuz he discovers, after a lifetime of feeling like a nobody, that his name is published in the new phonebook that's just arrived at his front door. It's as if his very existence is suddenly validated.

Well, I'm sort of feeling like that today.

My brand-new website is up and running.

And people are reading my blog.

If, right now, you're mumbling to yourself "hey, that doesn't diminish the possiblity that you STILL are a jerk", well, you may be correct.

But at least I'm a jerk with a website. Booyah.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Here and now

It's Wednesday. The dogs need to be walked, paintings need to be organized for two upcoming shows, and there are drawings which MUST be released from my pen. But all I can think about is the sound of the two pileated woodpeckers that live on my property. They make the strangest "walka walka" noise, and I could hear them yesterday but I couldn't SEE them.

Which means that I can't draw right now. I can't organize paintings. And I can't walk the dogs, cuz they interfere with my ability to focus my binoculars.

I have my priorities, ya know.

If you've ever seen pileated woodpeckers, you're totally getting this............