Monday, June 16, 2008

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Pantheon



Worked more on the painting. It is still terrible.

Here's a quicky on the Pantheon.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Another "Work-in-Progress"


I've had a dozen blank canvasses for about a year, all 8" x 10"— the size of Edward Weston's negatives.

Today I made a genuine mess of one of them, so I did a quicky on a postcard in order to have something to post. I think it works pretty good.

Tomorrow I'll go make to the canvas and try to breathe a little life into it.

Kim

Friday, June 13, 2008

Apology for a Bad Painting



In 1964 I dropped out of college to read a stack of books. I started to paint and never read the books. A painter lived down the hall (another basement room in an old building) and taught me a few things, none of which I remember.

In 2007, 43 years later, I dropped out of college again (this time as a dean rather than a freshman) to read books and paint. I ended up writing poems, drawing, and learning a little about Buddhism. I stopped the writing when I discovered that I didn't know anything.

Now it is time to paint. Sometimes, like today, the paintings won't be very good. I beg your indulgence (is that the right expression?). I suspect that many good things come from failed attempts. I remember seeing a movie on the Wright brothers last week. They had some disasters until they improved their plane...and figured out how to fly it.

William Blake said that practice is art. My hope is that if I paint everyday I'll get better at it.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Man Faces Death



Hudson River School Painting
Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900)
View of Quebec, 1846
Oil on canvas, 22 3/16" x 30 1/6"
Alteration on postcard

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Einstein Visits 1927



Collaboration with Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848)
View on Lake Winnipiseogee, 1827 (100 years before the Babe hit 60)
Original: oil on panel, 19 1/4" x 26 1/8"
Alteration: acrylic and ink on postcard, 4 3/4" x 6 1/2"
Made for the 82nd birthday of Lennie Kesl

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

All Alone



Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, which can be interpreted as the buddha in each of us. We may be alone until we see that goodness that is part of all of us.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

In a Line



I wondered what it meant to wait in line as I went through security at the airport.

Who's in the world?

Xiushan said, "What can you do about the world?" Dizang said, "What do you call the world?"