All connected
Holding on
For dear life
Hard as it is
Is all we know
Lewie JPD |
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I met Brooklyn artist Ernest Concepcion (pictured, right) during the Gowanus studio tour weekend in NY in 2008. On that day, together with my buddies Blair and Ollie, we visited the working spaces of more than 50 Brooklyn artists.
As soon as I saw Ernest's work I was like - POW! - this guy is the real thing. A huge talent. We started chatting and made a connection. Through facebook we have kept in touch and plan to one day maybe collaborate on a project here in Oz. Anyway, I was busy updating my own mural page on this site when I saw a recent interview with Ernest on Scribble blog - and saw this picture of his recent mural. Again - POW - blown away! Just like on the first day. That HIGH on ART feeling.... awesome stuff! Go Ernest! Click on the pic to link to his site. Fate, faith - same difference. Believe what you will, the final outcome is the same. We're all going in - whether we dip our toes in, inch at a time, leap off the rooftop, get thrown in or swan dive.
The celestial pool of destiny shimmers in expectation... Did I have any worthwhile revelations today? Hmm... Yes. Thought of two unrelated people - a Polish girl and an Irish fella - this morning for no special reason - both of whom I haven't seen for 6 months or so - and ran into them both this arvo. That was pretty cool. The Pgirl just got married yesterday and the Iguy just got divorced. Then we all walked into a bar and met a horse with no name, referred to as Sandy. If reality was a script it would be classified as unbelievable. The main thing I try to do every day these days is to be grateful. Grateful for as many damn good simple things as I can think of. Two swims in the ocean today. That makes it a good day. One of my all time favourite artists, Jean Dubuffet speaking in short clip from 1973
Introducing the one and only Steve Smith...
No intros needed to anybody from Bondi. Steve is a local personality. You know, adds colour to the place. Well known as a signwriter and artist. The real deal. I've known Steve for near two decades now and have always been impressed by his spectacular, spooky works, his dedicated artist's work ethic and his devotion to art. Otherworldly, superbly detailed, wretched, macabre - with a playful comic touch - Steve's paintings and drawings are, well, uniquely Steve. As seen in this pic, snapped today, art definitely gets him high, too! (Click to link to Steve's website.) The inner world is full of wonders
As is the outer Flitter and flop between the two Be not afraid of pitfalls or blunders It's all an imperfect dream A mixed up notion A discarded fantasy Not altogether imaginary Be grateful to breathe To have grown from a seed For not long to go Till we are back with the weeds Look up to the sky Shimmer, shriek, sigh Look beyond your two eyes And voyage, bon voyage, far inside Striving to catch that jelly fish in the sky...!
Hmm... what are we striving for, actually? The goal keeps moving. After a while you begin to wonder. Should I be expending all this effort on something like this? What is the purpose/payoff? There are definitely a few things that are unquestionably worth every bit of effort... raising children, taking care of others, acts of kindness and service... But other things; like making more money than is necessary, trying to look good or seem smart, etc... aren't they essentially meaningless. I am trying to get to something here but all that's coming out as a bunch of obvious cliches... I'll persist.... Er, no I won't. I'll change the subject. I like the tassles on the guys shoes. Not enough footware tassles around these days if you ask me.... And stripey pants! I had a pair of duo shade purple stripey jeans that I fucking loved back in the 90's. Oh, and jellyfish. Kids love jellfish. I remember thinking they were just awesome. They weren't the kind of jelly you could eat - but still.... they were jelly! And maybe.... somehow... somewhere there was one you could eat... Little bits of blubbery magic. Flying in the sky... Let's see what new pursuits tomorrow brings. These days it's about all I've got left! No more drugs. Drinking is limited to 2 glasses of red once a week and sex is even less frequent.
Having said that, art has always got me high. It's just the other stuff took up more of my time. Turn 50 and you get a certain vantage point - quite particular, quite amazing, really. You've lived. You've experienced. You've bloody well survived! With it comes an understanding, an acceptance, a certain glorious surrender - without the glory. What they say about youth being wasted on the young makes sense like it never did. There's no going back. Wherever you are, at whatever stage of life may be at - it is what you have to work with - adapt or perish. What a devious contruct! It's a paradox wrapped in pita bread. And there is sauce dripping on my hand. I lick it off. Slowly. So much is presented to us in daily society that it is easy just to be swept along with the status quo. There is nothing wrong with this but I think that it is to be encouraged to break away from prepackaged perceptions and investigate/create some of your own.
This takes a conscious effort - but the impulse is a natural one. You just need to go with it. What am I saying..? Ah... Let me think... I am saying that it's good to slow down, take your time, savour thoughts and moments that speak to you. Something you see, something you hear or think - your mind will create a response - listen to it, go further with it... Develop thoughts, ideas, fantasise, fixate, tune in, tune out... Let your mind take you places. Being a 'consumer' is like never leaving the pen. You need to jump over the fence, philosophically, prance or canter to the edge of the cliff and look over. Don't be afraid - you won't jump - even though you may consider it. Stand on the precipice of your own concepts of reality and look hard in every direction. Is there somewhere else to go? Somewhere you haven't been? Something you can consider that you never have before? Others can help us - but ultimately if you want your inner self to grow you need to sow some seeds of your own conjuring. There are any number of ways this is possible. Infinite. It's about your essence. YOUR essence. YOU. Listen to yourself. Follow your self. Trust yourself. Enjoy being you. This is your go at it. Find your own truth - define it. Find your own beauty. Your purity. It's all there. You just need to take the time to allow it to reveal itself. And this means: less television, less getting blotto, less thinking stressful things, worrying. It means thinking about life. What is it? Why are you here? What do you want to do with the one you have? What does it mean? It's not about working it all out - it's about investigating. It's about being the pilot, stepping into the cockpit of your own device and taking flight.... First step - decide you want to. Second step -will be revealed. Third step - keep going. Not a bad job - if you can get it.
Flexible hours - good working conditions - your own boss... The pay..? (laughs uncontrollably) Let's just say it's not about the money! Pic snapped by Johnny - maitre d at Bondi Tratt - on a sunny Bondi arvo - focused on the job at hand - creating a fresh art piece on my Samsung Note. How perfect is it to have a sky? Such an uplifting, majestic, awe-inspiring space. I spend time every day enjoying the sky. Yes. I like sky.
Writing about my days at art school brought back some memories - one of them is of a special friendship I had with the Greatest Genius that Ever Lived - Harold Kangaroo Thorton. I met him at an exhibition somewhere in East Sydney and we became pals. I used to go and visit him at his home/studio in Burton Street and we'd chat and talk about art. He had a great, fun loving spirit and loved making colourful pictures - a kind of surrealist/naiive art blend. He was a well-known and much loved identity around the area at that time of the 80's and would always be at gallery openings. He was a true blue larrakin and loved poking fun at art world snobbery. Even just remembering brings a smile to my face.
One of the things I like most when making my artworks is peace and quiet. Obviously complete silence is not expected but things go a lot smoother if there are no irritating noises. Often times I will sit in my car and work there - shutting out traffic noise isn't hard. Cafes are good, too, usually. Occasionally there will be a certain kind of voice with a certain kind of attitude talking about certain kind of things that may get to me. Usually there's elements or arrogance, boorishness or petty mindedness involved. Still, I try to block them out and carry on, quietly praying for them to shut (tf) up or leave soon. I endure and eventually it's peaceful again. I also like to do some creating in public libraries (Woollhara, Waverley, Paddington or Surrey Hills). I've always loved libraries - since I was a kid. They are like a refuge. When I lived in LA in 2009, I joined the wonderful Santa Monica library and went there five times a week. Amazing collection! You can really go somewhere when you're in a library.
I just read a post by a wonderfully talented, generous spirited artist friend from facebook. She's right into the planets and the cosmos and spiritual changes, etc and her posts will often describe what she - and the planet - are going through on any given day.
I realised that I was ignited by truth in her expression. It resonated with me because I can feel the simple honesty and it somehow, magically, allows me to question and inspect my own feelings in the moment and bounce it off hers. She wrote: "We have Comet activity no wonder everything seems so fired up. Comet Pan-STARRS (what a cool name for it). Feeling it really strongly in Crown and it filters down to the heart centre with a heated rush....this will effectively clear any dross in its path. I feel showered with graphic information that is filtering in hard, fast, clear and direct. Instant transparent KNOWING what could be better. It will very likely be hard for some physically, it's like a pressure washer for the spiritual pathways ♥ I feel on my Crown a sensation that feels like very hot water being splashed onto it. Others may feel it differently." Like I said, pretty cosmic. But to whatever degree I relate to the content, her voice and commitment and awereness around what she is saying gave me a thrill and a warmth. If what she was saying was feigh or affected there would not be the same resonance. So, I then realised that my recent spate and enjoyment in writing these blog posts can work in the same way - the content itself can be any given thing at any time - it's the honesty that will abide and make the effort worthwhile. Like passing a little gift package along. I appreciated the one I got this morning from Eirios. It inspired me to feel something, think something of value - and write this. |
ART GETS ME HIGHAuthor & ArtistLewie JPD Archives
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