Josse Ford :: Art Journeys and Conversation ::

A poem from the Living Poetry Blog

I got this poem from Amy's blog. She has the most wonderful poems there. Go check her out.

The Hammock

Your hand pushes me away
so that I float into the night,
then swing back, back from the nebulae
to our drifting conversation.

Among the race of star demons
what I saw out there--
golden chains, the spindle, sirens
chanting the music of the spheres--

blurs and streaks across star-flung
distances the chain-link fences
can't fence out. Between
your hand and the hammock's

slow rocking the Void
expands, twisting threads
tautening, slackening, stretched
almost to breaking:

Do you feel that wobble
of earth's axis, space
whirling past the ice-capped pole?
The pines like judges stare down at us:

What should we recant, here,
tonight, as if we'd only just begun:
Off-center already, losing
equilibrium? The world-soul moving

through the strung-out stars moves
in threads that creak and moan,
breathes between your mouth and mine.
Pushing me away, you bring

me home, your attraction drawing
down the alchemical sign:
Love draws the soul
the way a magnet draws iron.

From "The Dreamhouse" by Tom Sleigh

Technorati Tags: culture, poetry, writing

Sailing on the Ocean of Life

Thanks to Amy Grier for this poem on her blog "Living Poetry". Check out her interesting analysis of the poem's meaning.

WHEN'S SHORE LEAVE AGAIN?

Clusters of pinecones against winter green,
backdropped by cloudless blue sky.
Silently, afternoon passes between
the moment and eternity.

Captain, this absence of monsters and rocks--
sailor, shut up. Let it be.
The voyage from nowhere to nothing and back
beaten by drunk, brawling seas,

sometimes will toss up a treasure like this:
just hold to the stillness and see
shadows of what, on the island of peace,
waits with your name in her sigh.

JBMulligan

Big Wave by Josse Ford. © 2003.

Caroline Myss has these words to say on life is a spiritual journey from her book "Invisible Acts of Power."

"Vest yourself in the belief that your life is a hero's journey of spiritual progress. Mapping your way along the spiritual coordinates of purpose and compassion will help you navigate the storms of change. Life will never be a logical, rational, controllable experience. Some events and relationships will enchant us and others will crack us wide open with pain. Some people might win the lottery and other may end up broke through bizarre twists of fate, but we cannot outrun or outsmart the winds of change. Know that underlying the storm is peace, and under the chaos is order. Use the power of faith as your anchor: faith that there is a reason why things happen as they do; faith that you will make it through a crisis; faith that you are moving forward to a better place."

"Invisible Acts of Power: Personal Choices That Create Miracles" (Caroline Myss)

Technorati Tags: journeys, spiritual art, women, writing

Joyce Carol Oates on Writing and Art

At the moment I am reading a collection of Joyce Carol Oates essays on writing and art entitled "The Faith of a Writer." In her essay on Running and Writing she has this to say:

"To write is to invade another's space, if only to memorialize it; to write is to invite angry censure from those who don't write, or who don't write in quite the same way you do, for whom you may seem a threat. Art by it's nature is a transgressive act, and artists must accept being punished for it. The more original and unsettling their art, the more devastating the punishment."

"The Faith of a Writer : Life, Craft, Art" (Joyce Carol Oates)

Technorati Tags: women, writing

The Dollar isn't what it used to be

I took a stroll to Williamsburg this afternoon to search out my favorite afternoon tea snack (chocolate creme brule). Sitting at the cafe, I picked up a fascinating publication called enparalelo* opposites. I thought the following section was particularly topical:

The Dollar Isn't What It Used To Be

If your sight is like mine you might have a little difficulty reading the above so I will spell it out for you. By the way, I had the devils own job scanning and compressing the above image - photoshop assumed I was trying to counterfeit currency and closed my file! Anyway, here goes:

* The US buys more than it sells. For every dollar it exports it imports 2.5

* Is this sustainable?

* Since 2002 the dollar has devalued more than 30% against the Euro, resulting in an exchange loss comparable to the reduction of the Argentine debt, which was the largest such debt swap in history.

* If the United States of America were a corporation, how long would it maintain credit and trust?

* The US receives more than it gives, and it is not currently fiscally sensible to save in US dollars.

* Currently, the US has a debt of $7,786,606,686,259.96. With the US population estimated at 295,798,793, each citizen's share of this debt is roughly $26,323.99

* To sustain this debt, the US pays roughly 320 billion dollars in interest every year.

* 50% of US debt is held by China and Japan.

* When one holds 50% of the shares of a company, one has control over major decisions. What makes us think this is any different in the global marketplace?

* Can things continue as they are?

Food for thought......

enparalelo* is a project of interrupcion*. You can learn more at www.interrupcion.net

Paul Gauguin on Eternity

From Artquotes:

Life is hardly more than a fraction of a second. Such a little time to prepare oneself for eternity!

Paul Gauguin

Gauguin, Paul: Self-portrait with Halo 1889, Oil on wood

Frank Lloyd Wright on Humility

Having always been fascinated by the enigma of Frank Lloyd Wright, his architecture, and persona, I enjoyed this quote attributed to him at Artquotes in this morning's email.

Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change.

Frank Lloyd Wright, photographed in 1952

I guess that the difference between “honest arrogance” and “hypocritical humility” is a very subjective thing, but it makes sense to me. Without honesty at the beginning, the rest of the sentence is essentially meaningless. It certainly helped Wright to create an incredible artistic legacy.

Architectural writer, Robert Campbell, had this to say about Wright:

The greatest artist this country has ever produced seems at last to be coming into his own. America's other great artists -- our painters, sculptors, composers - don't really rank with the tops of all time. They're not Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Beethoven. Wright alone has that standing

In my dreams I live in a beautiful prairie-style mansion, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, overlooking the ocean at Makena Beach in Maui - similar to the one in Josse Ford's painting, “House at Makena II”. Its a sacred place - one that I hope to bring into physical reality someday.

To learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright's amazing life and legacy, visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation or view the wonderful PBS documentary.

Interesting Ebooks on Health and Wellness

I don't know about the rest of you but I find that eating well is a key part of my strategy for staying on top of my goals as an artist. I find what I eat has a huge effect on my state of mind and my ability to work creatively, either painting or drawing. Recently I came across an interesting site on the internet. Written by Mike Adams, it is a goldmine of information on health and wellness related topics. Mike lost 50 pounds of body fat, took up strength training, shifted to a diet of 100% healthy, natural foods, and basically transformed his health using the principles outlined in his books.

He had some interesting Free ebooks on health and nutrition at TruthPublishing.com which were very well written and informative. Some of the books I read and found very helpful were:

Superfoods For Optimum Health - Chlorella and Spirulina

Chlorella and spirulina are truly the most astounding food sources on planet Earth. In this special report, you'll learn about the astonishing health benefits and nutritional achievements of these two foods, and you'll see why you need to get these into your diet immediately.

Secret Sources For Healing Foods and Natural Medicines That Can Save Your Life

Nutrition author Mike Adams reveals his top sources for food ingredients, herbs, natural medicines and health-enhancing products that he personally uses to achieve peak physical and mental health.

I read a lot of health books and I discovered some information that I hadn't come across before on some of the health benefits of spirulina and chlorella. For example, I didn't know that "ounce for ounce, spirulina offers twelve times more digestible protein than beef." Nor did I know that spirulina could increase your brain power and actually rebuild nerve tissue not only in the brain and throughout the body.

In the "Secret Sources" book I was interested in his description of freeze dried fruits and vegetables. I do a lot of hiking and plein air painting in the mountains and these foods sounded like a great way to spice up my breakfasts and trail mixes and add all the antioxidant and heath enhancing phytonutrients without adding any extra sugar.

Another interesting thing about Mike is that he doesn't receive any income for promoting these products. He does it because he thinks they really are useful tools for taking charge of your own health.

Check out these free ebooks for yourself at TruthPublishing.com

There are Two Kinds of People in this World - free men and slaves. Who are you?

I was reading more of my Robert Henri book that I mentioned in an earlier post. He was writing a letter to a teacher and his words really struck a chord in my heart. Many times in our lives we are tested as to the strength of our convictions. At the time it seems easier to take the path of the majority but each time we compromise a little part of our true self dies. Now, more than ever, is a time to stand up for what we believe in and the freedom that this country was founded on.

If I were you I would prefer a short and courageous career in art teaching to one that would be prolonged by hedgings. What does it matter if by standing for the thing you really believe in, fighting for it, giving to others the reasons you have used in your own conviction, making no weak concessions, you fail. Such failure is success. You keep your likeness, anyhow. Besides, you can depend on it, there are everywhere some people who will recognize your wisdom, truth and courage, and you will be well repaid by having won the appreciation of such people, even if you come back, as a result, out of a job and strapped. Many people would renounce what I have said as sentimental or even wild fanaticism.

But don’t be fooled. The diplomatic hedger is all about us. You and I have seen many of them grow up and develop their game. Some of them have bank accounts and are very respectable and safe citizens, but we are well aware of the price paid and know that it is far too dear. One has ideas, which it believes in fully, perhaps, but modifies to bring about “success.” The other class has ideas which it believes in and must carry out absolutely, success or no success.

The first class has a tremendous majority and they are all slaves. The second class are the only free people in the world. Some are kept under the grind of poverty. Some are sent to jail, but they are still the only free class. But the latter class does not always get down under the heel nor sent to jail.

People are not always fools. There are those who only want “to be shown”, ones who know, and there must be someone who has the courage to show them. These are the words of the old teacher before you again – get mad at me if you like – but it’s the same as I used to say when I was teacher and you were pupil, and it was such ideas, in which you then saught truth and value, that made you come to hear me. And it is because there are many people who are not fools and only want “to be shown”, but in spite of the convections of institutions, there has always been a place open for me, although there has never been a time that failure has not been predicted.

You Are a Song In This World

I am reading this wonderful book called "The Art Spirit" by Robert Henry. He was a teacher at the Art Students League and this book compiles inspirational lectures that he gave to his students. His influence on American art was profound. He sought to instill in his students a passion for art, received from direct experience of life.

"The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept and Technique of Picture Making, the Study of Art Generally, and on Appreciation (Icon Editions)" (Robert Henri, Margery Ryerson (Editor))

Today's art thought is from a lecture he gave about the artist Mary Rogers. The thoughts are expressed in it are the reasons, that make me feel the calling of art - why there is nothing else that I would rather be doing.

Mary Roger's approach to nature was a purely spiritual one. Her technique in every instance was invoked by the spirit of things that she wished to express.

There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual - become clairvoyant. We reach then into reality. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom.

It is in the nature of all people to have these experiences; but in our time and under the conditions of our lives, it is only a rare few who are able to continue in the experience and find expression for it.

At such times there is a song going on within us, a song to which we should listen. It fills us with surprise. We marvel at it. We would continue to hear it. But few are capable of holding themselves in the state of listening to their own song. Intellectuality steps in and as the song within us is of the utmost sensitiveness, it retires in the presence of the cold, material intellect. It is aristocratic and will not associate with the commonplace - and we fall back and become our common selves. Yet we live in the memory of those songs which in moments of inadvertence have been possible to us. They are the pinnacles of our experience and it is the desire to express these intimate sensations, this song from within, which motivates the masters of all art.

Mary Rogers was one of those who had the simple power to listen to the song and to create under the spell of it. She knew the value of revelation and her spirit had that control over mentality which was the secret of her gift for employing at all times in her work that specific technique evoked by the song. She was master. Her work is a clear record of her life's great moments.

Sculpture of the Day - The Farmer

Van Gogh Museum: Collection:
Aimé Jules Dalou (1838-1902)
The Farmer, 1902
Bronze, 197 x 70 x 68 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
(Vincent van Gogh Foundation)
V 100 V/1995

This life-size bronze peasant rolling up his sleeves is a fine example of Realism in sculpture. There is no idealisation in the French sculptor Dalou’s representation of the man with his simple work clothes, sunken cheeks and sombre, dejected expression. Dalou, a labourer’s son, championed the lower classes in society: he recorded both the hardships suffered by peasants and labourers, and their dignity. This figure of a peasant was intended for a project which occupied the sculptor during the final years of his life, the never completed Monument to labour. The figure was not cast in bronze until after Dalou’s death.

Dalou together with Rodin was part of the realist movement in 19th-century sculpture. This movement did not develop until c. 1880, some 30 years later than in painting. This kind of figure did not appear in public spaces until the first decades of the 20th century.