Trap notes

This African book

Slice of life from the sketchbook I kept on Kilimanjaro. Don't carry a sketchbook up the mountain, that was stupid.

nugget of pessimistic optimism

Kurt Vonnegut's MO, somehow he manages to be simultaneously jaded and giddy at the same time. He's just light-heartedly chuckling about the hopelessness of the human race. You know, that's all..

I read Cat's Cradle recently in which he makes up a whole religion that doubles back on itself. The first tenant being: “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." I walked away with his point being that the lies of religion make people happier than the truth derived from science. 

I wouldn't say I agree, but I still think it is a sound argument. I see it like trying a case without a weapon, DNA, or witnesses. You put together the pieces as best you can, and it seems to make sense with what you have in front of you. But you are working with a short deck. There's this great book with thought-provoking ideas and reasonable assumptions based on a narrow scope of humanity, its actions and effects. Given what society works with, these ideas about religion and science sadly seem to make sense and I can appreciate the casework. But I do think the real picture is a much bigger mystery, outside of the scope of the duality of these two constantly warring sides - religion and science. The unseen knots that bind us, quantum physics, galaxies beyond ours, wave particle paradox and observer effect, the brain, memory, love. None of it can be explained away in terms of science or conventional religion for that matter. Though there may be answers in both, and answers enough for the individual, which is all that matters sometimes, especially if you think that we are only working with one lifetime. Those answers might be enough. For me though, there is comfort in all the questions. 

Newspaper poetry

// Speaking of choices // Likely to become a long scrimmage of Will / They barely know // The efforts needed to top that big rock // 

A while back I started making these collages in the morning after "reading" the newspaper. Sometimes there's not much reading involved, I just channel aggression at the sports page and tear it up.

Found word poetry is however, really kind of nice and zen. And if/when the poetry sucks you can always hide behind the fact that, well you were just working with what you had. How can you make poetry out of the sports headlines anyway.

But what I've found amazing is that, even though the words aren't mine, they have a way of expressing what's on my mind often far better than if had my choice. Some people pluck their ideas out of the ether, I guess I might be more of an assembler. Either way I highly recommend this experiment.

// As generations of man return to God // The foreign limits of a world // bound by the memory of all that is lost // charges on waiting for happiness //

This one (I guess obvious by the first sentence) is about the older generations departing this world and the lessons that they are taking with them; lessons about being happy and how those of us left behind are wounded by that loss and simultaneously complacent about our own journey; "waiting" for happiness because we dont really have the secrets that our forefathers have taken to the grave.

// Goodbyes are nice // To finish off a rainy day and march ahead // Away from the fire of blame // And an overblown showdown // Making off with nothing but // Lessons from the devil //

This one is melodramatic. About relationships that are so trying, and how it's pleasant when they just fade away rather than end in a gigantic unnecessary scene.

// Money for power // Still the fleeing spoils of a solitary life // See you quietly losing yourself // to earth's unseen spell //

Idealism coming face to face with the realities of participating in the rat race. It's the resistance to the idea that money does equal power, even power over your own destiny. While the answer could be to step away from it all and live like an ascetic in the spiritual world unphased by the theater of power and money, even for an idealist the temptations of the material world are too much to withstand. To enjoy what the earth has to offer you have to pay.

Godspeed Rider Show

My first full gallery show in Los Angeles!

Be sure to come by if you are in the area!

I'll be showing paintings and work from my art books and travel journals!

bottom feeding is good

The word foraging always made me think of vultures and bottom feeders, but I have a new appreciation. We went out to the woods with a survivalist over the weekend and brought back enough edible things to make a gigantic salad. These are my notes and this is the salad.

Some of the ingredients include: Prickly Lettuce, Chickweed, Oxalis, Willow Herb, Watercress, Black Nightshade, Sow Thistle,  Scarlet Monkey Flowers, Mint, Curly Dock, and Nut Grass.

Only drawback was the worms. They kept popping up everywhere.

Some sketchbook pages differentiating the harnesses, hooks, cams, atcs, belaying thingies, etc

croissants and more croissants

Now I know why everyone falls in love with France. I tried hard not to, just because there's a word for it.  (Are there any equivalents to francophile? Canadiophile? Americophile? Russiaphile?)

But if you can't beat them join them. France is so beautiful. The cathedrals are on every other corner. The other corners have cafes where you can sip delicious coffee all day and enjoy the perfect breeze off of the Seine. It's ridiculous. And the French people are so hospitable and fun. I had the best time running around the city with Ms. Anne-Marie!

If you haven't been, I hope that you can visit there very soon. My only advice is to learn how to say a few food items in French, so you aren't eating your weight in croissants like me, unless you want to of course.
(I had too much pride to speak English, so I just went to the baguetteries and said un croissant again and again, hahaha!)

 

Drawing Notre Dame, but got kicked out of the garden for closing time.

The ceiling of Saint Sulpice