July 2005 Archives
Rain has fallen in Swainsboro for the first time in what seems like weeks. The plants are rejuvinated, the asphalt seems to be thanking the clouds for these subtle moments of coolness in place of the scorching heat. I believe it has refreshed my vision as well, the constant battering of the heat combined with the intense glare of the sun has been quite harsh on the eyes.
The orchid in the office has begun to drop its withered blossoms. I leave them where they fall. Their crumpled petals remind me of fallen pixies- beautiful, yet solemn in their state. I am in the process of printing images of this scene- and, as they continue to fall I will continue to document the change. A new stem is reaching out from the leaves, stretching toward the window, to rise above the lifeless petals and produce new life where life once stood. Those blossoms shall then look down at the composition below; it seems if we open our eyes, we are always aware as to what is to come.
We all have the chance to do something beautiful...
Meditations on the image- the process, the motions that take place in that moment between the brain triggering the finger that triggers the shutter that opens/closes...recording the light emitted from the scene before it.
Congratulations to Clinton Powell and Renazance who recently won 'Connect Savannahs Best Poet of the Year!'
"Winner: Clinton Powell
Runnerup: Renazance
The “thin man” is co-founder of the Spitfire Poetry Group. In addition to his fiery performances, Powell works with area schoolchildren to light a fire under their innate creative abilities. A recent trip with some young charges to a poetry slam in Jacksonville won first, second, fourth and fifth places.
Always keeping it real, runner-up and co-founder of the Spitfire Poetry Group Renazance is a tireless spokesman for the art form, helping to organize the recent first-ever Spoken Word Festival."
Connect Savannah Best of 2005
Below you will find a link to a very talented group of individuals known as
The SpitFire Poetry Group
Peace.
The world itself seems to be changing at such a rapid pace...then, while looking around it seems as if we, as a species, still commit such simple mistakes...we have the ability to fly to the moon...and back(that part really amazes me) yet we still see prejudices due to peoples ethnicity and race. We have the ability to transmit information through the airwaves to the other side of the globe yet we cannot find an effective solution to dealing with the waste we produce on a daily basis. We have the ability to create renewable 'green energy' yet we still rapidly deplete limited natural resources.
Tomorrow, a plane awaits at 6am. I would like to say 'thank you' to the Howard and the Wilson-Johnson families for their hospitality and sincere kindness.
I hope you enjoy the images that stand to document bits of the journey...A taste of the Texas landscape and the people who make it beautiful.
James Turrell, Houston Museum of Fine Arts
The Rothko Chapel, a powerful moving experience. If you have yet to visit, please, make arrangements and experience this space. I left in awe-
It has revitalized an effort of energy into the creation of Sacred Spaces. The space takes hold of you upon entering and has trouble letting you.
James Turrel's light space below the Houston Museum of Fine Arts- beautiful.
Area Code 281. Houston. The flight to Houston went well. Sketches were created for past installation ideas, the relationship with bees wax in the creative process of the installations was further explored in the journal, and a wonderful display of heat lightining was on view outside the aircraft window.
Next stop- Austin.
The plane had a mechanical failure. It lost communication with the landing gear on the left side of the plane. After leaving Memphis for 30 minutes, the plane returned.
A constant wind pushed through the city...Rain would fall sporadically, children splashed in the puddles while parents huddled under sagging sheets of newsprint.
Hot, humid air pushed upwards as the city seemed to swallow the staircase the below.
The transit authority, in white shirt and neon green vest, wore an honest smile while leaning against the worn tattered toll booth...a fan blew behind him, committed to change, while his thumb casually clicked the people-counter as each passerby passed by.
The Documentation of Texas begins tomorrow. I am looking forward to the change in surroundings and comparing my preliminary sketches/notions to the body of work that will result from this journey.
Dreams; worlds within mindspace that come to us when the barriers of daily life have fallen aside.
Communicating, listening; the answers lie within.
At times when we have become so detached from the world around us, it is comforting to know, that Sacred Spaces still exist.
A mosquito has sprawled himself on the window. The breeze shakes his wings.
Only the glass stands between us.
Finding connections. Tracing steps, decisions, actions...where they are leading me, where am I being led. Realizing the connections we all share. Like the spiders web, at times obvious when covered with the mornings dew, and at other times elusive, until it blankets your face on the dimly lit trail.
Greetings and Happy Independence Day. On this Inependence Day, I can't help but think about the meaning behind the day, the day we declared Independence from Britian and our Democracy was born. This quest for freedom, equality and justice. I think about our five freedoms granted to us by Article 1 of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution:
The Botanical Portfolio features new work inspired by the variety and complexity of the plant world. I look at the orchid in my windowsill and wonder- dwell upon the complex beauty that exists in something that seems to be so simple. In creating this body of work, I am constantly comparing the complexities of the plant world to the physical space we are developing around us. The bio mechanics of the pitcher plant in relationship to skyrise apartments. The balance that exists between the two as urban sprawl becomes more far reaching. The struggle that exists between the two- the roots of the mighty oak tearing through the concrete above it and the ability for crawling vines to reclaim now abandoned stone towers. The existence of the plant species- its evolutionary head start on the homosapien species and the balance that struggles to exist between the two.
