A Long Year Behind Me: My Head and My Heart But Not My Hands is in Art

About a one year hiatus from the blog.  I haven't anguished over the blog contributions necessarily but I sense that I must have missed many opportunities for personal growth and insight as a result of not contributing to it. Many missed moments of failing to study, investigate, ponder, and share within the context of the daily contributions and doing art routinely. To some degree, I have lost myself and my way along the path I intended. But it has been a year of Duty. A return to Duty. And long hours to stay on watch and station. Sometimes with duty and responsibility one can get caught up and lose the sense of self within. A triggering event and a moment of epiphany can re-instill a need to return to core values and activities. I have the sense that my Mission is accomplished in my present assignment. It is time to return to the Mission stated in "Impressions from Idle Acres" in a new phoenix.

Imperatives and ideas and wishes have been building but not acted upon explicitly. A resetting of priorities may be required to re-calibrate to the Original Outlook. A redirecting of Life Force and Energy is coming. It comes from the still, small Inner Voice whispering its guidance.

There are two images to share today that reflect my feelings after this year's hiatus from Impressions and may portend the future as well.  "Winter's Discontent" depicts a solitary, dried corn husk amidst other fallen fruitless stalks located in an urban, curbside garden.

Original Photo: "Winters Discontent", Copyright James E. Martin 2014

The garden from which "Winter's Discontent" is taken seemed to be a feeble, half-hearted, but well-meaning attempt at balancing the modern life with a semblance of one of the basic values tantamount to the human endeavor. Growing one's own food is a basic value but, in this case, not in a quantity sufficient for annual survival and sustenance. This garden was a fleeting, false gesture. Perhaps it made one person feel good about their personal endeavor and there was some enjoyment of it. The photo was taken on an extremely frigid day with temperatures so low that it was startling to go outside and painful to remain outside. Taking the picture was awkward with bare hands to the camera controls. The depiction is after the fruitful harvest season of green, verdant opportunity in sunshine and rain and depicts the leftover remnants that remain in the cold, frigid season of days gone by. The opportunity for growth and nourishment is now past. Any kernels of well-being that remain are suitable for birds and field mice. If a new crop is to be sought, a new season and a new seeding is imperative. The Spring season of refreshing is near.

The second image is of "Winter's Urban Sunset" in the proximity of the garden and provides the feeling associated with the most recent leg of Duty's journey.

Original Photo: "Winter's Urban Sunset", Copyright James E. Martin 2014

Again, the setting of an old day in the urban environment with only the hint of a new dawn in the near term. The colors and layout of the sunset are captivating but only for a moment's enjoyment. Change is ever present and the enjoyable beautiful moment of Impression is momentary. The time is not yet here to know where the dawn will be seen from or what it will look like. And it will have to appear on a different horizon. One must turnaround in an opposite direction to see the dawn after the sunset.

My thought is to start a new blog with a new look that continues this self-taught artist's journey from "Idle Acres". Perhaps "Impressionism from the Journeyman" seems appropriate. This morning I hobble up and shakily move forward but with some measure of internal mental determination, perseverance, and fortitude. The Daily Walk continues.

Sadness: Part of the Journey

I have indirectly found out that Scott Lightfoot, a life mentor to me through his blog writings, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. I understand it to be this day in Ohio. I started this art blog because of him and gained a deeper understanding of my artistic endeavor and motivation because of his insight, feelings and expressions. We shared similar perspectives, experiences, and struggles in our Journey. Although I never met him personally, I think we were kindred spirits. I did have the opportunity to write some comments to him on his blog from time to time. I offered him one final dedication....apparently shortly before he entered a hospice. One of his best friends and an intermediary to me, Kristen Dukat, told me that she had the chance to ensure that Scott heard my final message to him through her kind intervention before his final rest. Thank you for sharing with him and for sharing to me, Kristen. My comments and letter to him below.

Scott Lightfoot: Artist , Influence, and Mentor
Courtesy of Kristen Dukat: A Time for Art

"Dear Scott, about 12-18 months ago, I came across your blog. It was about art, the quality of life, the meaning of life, unemployment, and daily living. It was about struggle. It also spoke strongly to the theme of what it meant to be a man. To be a provider. To make a difference in the world. To achieve. To make an impact. Many of those issues struck a chord with me during a year of unemployment as a middle aged man, potentially needing to redefine who I was or who I was to become. You are a great writer and in that sense, not just a graphical depicter of images, but a true artist.

Expressing your view of the world and sharing your perspective. Changing the views, perspectives, and values of others as a result of implanting images in their mind that affect how they live out their journey. You have changed the images in my mind not necessarily because of your graphical depictions in a media but because you have affected my worldview because of who you are as a person and what you have done with your artistic endeavor along your life's journey. As difficult as it appeared to be at times against your own true self, you opened yourself up to the world and revealed your innermost vulnerabilities. You have told the story of Everyman and Everywoman in the flow of Humanity. The weakness. The chaos. The search for meaning. The effect of the world against the individual. The seeming lack of control and influence over things that are larger than any of us alone. The deep need to have friends and family. How many artists have there been that perhaps sketched drawings or painted pictures but had no lasting impact upon humanity? They are also artists. But we start out only as practitioners of a skill. Perhaps we are fortunate enough to add some practitioner's knowledge. If we are committed, perhaps we gain experience. And perhaps one day, someone looks at what we have done and says we have ability. But is Art about Knowledge, Ability, Skill, and Experience. Perhaps. But the greatest artists have faced the Void and gone into a Realm where no timid soul has ventured before. Their bravery and bravado put the deep life experiences into their unique expression.

I am only one small witness about you and testimony for you across the country and this globe. I started a blog because of you. It is about Art, Daily Living, the Artistic Endeavor, the Journey, and reaching one's Unique Potential. It is about making an impact during our time here in the flesh. It is about asking the deep questions. Although I have returned to work in Boston, I see things differently now. I have a different balance towards my daily walk. I sketch on the commuter train and the subway. I take photos with a different view towards how they could be used in my artistic endeavor. So how is the world of art changing and what part have you played in today’s art? You have been part of the Daily Painting initiative. Art is a more "democratic" experience whereby many more people practice the craft. It is a movement. You have been a part of its early formulation. And perhaps it can be said that the daily artists influence others through their art and that they enjoy being appreciated. But perhaps you have shown it is more than that.

As you know, the truly great artists changed the world by affecting the worldview of others through their expression. And like the Olympic champions of old, we observe that the torch gets passed from generation to generation. But the Olympic endeavor message has similarities to the artistic endeavor, the triumph of humanity over the struggles of life, the noble message of pure things that are to be aspired and expressed rather than the base things, the physical/mental/emotional struggle to be the best, to reach one's unique potential, to leave a legacy, to get it right, to be remembered in the flow of humanity. We each have a part to play. I am part of your legacy. You have made a difference in my life and how I see the world and what I should do in my time remaining however long that should be. I also am preparing to pass the torch along the timeline of the artistic endeavor. But it is not just about art, is it? I am more sensitive to my frailties and my weaknesses. My limits are more known to me today. I am bounded and constrained. For me, much of your message is about how short a time we have here in this life. To surmise otherwise is a fool's errand. There is great wisdom about the human condition in your story, Scott. So I endeavor, in my small part to play on this stage, to pour myself and my life's experience into others. And may attempt to do just a little art along the way as one medium of expression. But the true artists have changed the world. Just as you did for me. Thank you. jim"

I bid him adieu and will carry on my Daily Walk one small step at a time.

A Visitor in Need: What to Do in the Economy of Days?

In January 2012, I visited the Boston Museum of Art for the special Degas exhibit. I took the commuter rail in to the city and traversed the subway to and from my destination. I recall vividly a slender somewhat ragged and disheveled young man bursting onto the subway and expositing his story in a matter of fact manner to the travelers that day. He told of his troubles, he told of his weaknesses for drugs and trouble, he said he needed to raise money to go to a dependency counseling session, he described a significant injury to his hand and what had happened to him and that he needed medical assistance there as well. He had a goal to raise some money [less than $50] and described exactly to the penny how much he had towards his goal. Could anyone help him out, he asked? It happened so quickly that I didn't know what to make of it and I didnt have any cash in my pocket, and didn't want to pull out my wallet in the crowd....then he was gone...dashing out of the subway. I admired his courage, his imperative to speak, his straightforward approach. He was begging.

Two days ago, I was entering South Station on the commuter rail in the early morning. As we all got up to leave the car, the same young man walked down the aisle. $28.50 was the goal, he had $5. He told of his weaknesses. He explained how he was getting help. He shared his plan for that days activity to travel to a somewhat distant city that I knew for counseling and help. That he had an appointment. Could anyone help? I pulled $20 from my wallet and offered it to him. He was astonished and started to cry. It must not happen often. I asked him if he would meet his goal. He quickly replied about his remaining amount to achieve. I offered a few one dollar bills to fill the gap with an extra three dollars with a suggestion that I knew that $2.77 would purchase a Dunkin Donuts egg and cheese bagel...my normal breakfast fare. We walked off the train and talked for a few minutes. I asked his name. John, he replied. He was 29 years old. He had made some poor decisions in his life and had spent six years in prison. He told me of his wife...who was worse off than he was. He had an 11 year old son that he did not see much of but he wished it could be different. I asked him where he had slept the prior night. He said in an ATM booth. He had helped a non-English speaking man who was beating on the ATM machine because he couldn't get his money out through poor understanding of the language how use the ATM to get his money out early in the am. The man had given him the $5 to start his day.

I had only just met John. I could not determine if he was telling the truth or not. He talked of drugs. Of AIDS. His hands were craggy and dirty but showed the charcacter of his tribulations and his trials. He was slender, animated, but seemed to be purpose driven. I took only a few moments to talk with him of my life, my struggles recently about joblessness and then recent employment not to be compared to his journey, that I had met him before in January and remembered him, and that today, I had the money to offer him. I told him that I knew that my money that day would not solve his continuing need, that I would pray for him, for his plight required more than I could do in a moment. I don't tend to share my prayer life with others necessarily but this man affected me.

Just before parting ways, I realized I had two apples in my jacket pockets for the day, I offered them both to him. It was funny because he thought I was offering one or the other of his choice. He was a bit surprised that I would give him both. His need was greater that day and I would go without in remembrance of our meeting. So I pondered him throughout that day and the next. I would have a family to return to that evening, sleep in a warm bed, and share an evening meal with those I loved. I had Blessings. There are so many more like John in this economy who are struggling.

Part of my thinking is to use my art to make a difference. In the life of John and others like him. One of my immediate goals in sketching is to draw from memory after a brief observation period. This is my first attempt at a memory drawing. The start of a Journey. And dear Readers, pray for John and others like him. Perhaps we can give some from our Plenty and our Time in a thoughtful direct manner. Perhaps we can make a small difference in the lives of others where there is Need in this Economy of Days.

Daily Sketch: John - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

30 Days of Daily Sketching: Lessons Learned

Sundays are good days for reflection.

I have never done this concerted sketching before. It was a way to fit my Artistic Endeavor into an otherwise horrendously busy day while starting a new job. It was my personal time in the day for me. The mass transit is bumpy and jostling making it difficult to sketch at times. An eraser is handy. It can be crowded. I saw the value in drawing on a continuum between realism and caricature to capture a likeness. I thought faster was better and helped flow the work. Head and hair seemed easier. Eyes, nose, lips, and chin were more difficult especially if working towards a likeness. There were times to try and capture a feeling or a mood in an expression and were so labeled. Many positions, postures, and perspectives will be routine in the mass transit venue but the people and personalities will vary. Must guard against boring me or others. Opportunities include drawing a quick observation or moment from memory and one's minds eye. Within the month there were maybe six events that were special and above the ordinary in terms of effort and results and uniqueness. Out of twenty days of morning and evening commutes for forty total sessions. Must keep the pencil sharp. It makes a difference. Draw a bit heavier for emphasis, strength, and contrast as well as reproducing on the web. Try to post each weekend if not possible during the week. Develop a business card with the blog address and artist info to share and build.

The sketch this summer of RDGM at Play in July took some time and was very deliberate. The drawing was sourced from a photo. The work over the last 30 days demonstrates much more looseness to its creation and is sourced from life.

Would like to continue to mature my skills in daily sketching application but the competition for my time will probably increase. It will be interesting to see what the next thirty days reveal.

Daily Sketch: RDGM at Play - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Alignment: A Return to Core Values and Activities

As a family, we have opted to travel cross country to Ohio to retrieve our oldest daughter from a seven week summer venture. This was my wife's idea. We have planned for tent camping along the way and haven't done this for a few years. In my childhood and teens, I hiked and camped a lot and remember it fondly. My gear included backpack, one person tent, sleeping bag, canteen, tin cookware set, hatchet, jacknife, and topographical maps of numerous stomping grounds. Developing a simple discipline of self-reliance through discovery and exploration was the Journey then. Getting away and being on my own were the motivations then. This week will be a return to core values.

"Learn to limit yourself,
 to content yourself
with some definite thing,
and some definite work;
dare to be what you are,
and learn to resign
with a good grace
all that you are not
and to believe in
your own individuality."

Henri Frederic Amiel
Filosoof Zwitserland
1821-1881

No. 1: Positive Beats Negative: Unique Potential - Art is Like a Pair of Jumper Cables

Today is Sunday. Traditionally for some, a day of reflection and introspection about who one is in the realm of larger things.  And so it is for me today. A listening to the Inner Voice.

The Journey of Completing 120 Paintings to learn about the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit starts with the first painting, Number 1. I am going to suggest that I completed that first painting four months ago.

Herein are two energetic tales connected four months apart. In this exposition, the end comes before the beginning. I shall entitle the first tale "The End" as you, dear Reader, shall soon discover why.

The End. On March 14 of this year, my wife was working late at the office. When she went out to start her vehicle to return home for a late dinner, the battery was dead. She noticed that an interior dome light may have been left on for a protracted period, perhaps even due to the daytime play of our beloved five-year-old daughter who enjoys pretending play in the car in the driveway at home with open windows and her dollies placed and buckled in the carseats. My wife ruminated that was the cause. She called me and I ventured downtown to offer an assisted start with well-known black-and-red jumper cables. We were able to get her home for a late dinner in a fairly straightforward manner.

After use, I placed the cables on the front passenger seat of my vehicle. The next morning, when I transported my very observant five-year-old daughter to day care, she noticed the cables and asked "What are those, Daddy, Chomper Cables?" That expostulation tickled my fancy! But where did that come from? 

I surmise that she had heard her parent's phone conversation the night prior and not knowing the details of the event in her innocence, had kept her quiet repose at the time but had attached some thwarted meaning to partially heard words with which she had no prior experience. She held any commentary in reserve at the time. When she was able to visibly see the cables the next morning, however, it all came together for her. Her memory of the conversation was immediately assisted by the now visible objects draped over the seat in front of her declaring their ferocity with copper teeth and she was able to attach her word label to the event. See for yourself. The interface clamps ARE armed to the teeth in an anthropomorphic sense. Jumper cables. Chomper cables. I get it.  ;o)

Original Photo: Chomper Cables - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

In March 2012, I was attempting to move towards understanding the discipline and effort required for a Daily Painting initiative. No small feat amidst a busy schedule of multi-tasking and numerous projects on my To Do list. The above-mentioned photo was a still life arranged by me after the comic event to instill some artistic meaning to those recently humorous anecdotes into otherwise mundane objects utilized in our daily lives. One of the genres I have noticed about the Daily Painting initiative is that the artists may select objects or scenes from their daily lives to practice their skills, approach, or develop a style. The genre clearly and concretely illustrates their Creative Pursuit while expositing the stories and script of their world perspective, their life's Journey and therefore their Artistic Endeavor.

Original Painting: Chomper Cables - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

It was a different experience for me as well to document this rather simple anecdote and potential memory in this manner. As the Reader will note in my now re-constituted blog history, I stopped my daily art blog entries two days later on March 16 and, at the time as I thought best, removed the history from the web. Too much going on at the time with some critical events that required my complete focus and attention. Art was laid aside. The blog was laid aside. Perhaps as a permanent decision. It was a sad day for me. "Chomper Cables" was my last painting in my first 90-day period of ramping up to an un-declared Daily Painting initiative. It was my end. So now, dear Reader, we shall return to the the second related tale.

The Beginning. I have been thinking recently about re-starting my art journey with some trepidations. I intend to re-frame the next part of my artistic journey by declaring to myself to paint 120 paintings to pattern my progress in a new phoenix. Of course, it's obvious that the declaration is now shared and is not at all a private one. The saga continues.

Last week offered mid-summer seasonal hot weather and high humidity. As I was dropping my young daughter off at day care, I returned to my vehicle and it groaned a bit at start-up. I got it back home to the driveway in prompt recognition of the matter and attempted two more ignition starts in a safe haven and it failed to turn over at the second try. I needed a new battery.

My dear wife had been up late at home and again early with work-related endeavors, and we agreed that I would use her vehicle that day to share a breakfast at a local restaurant, and I would drop her off at work and use her vehicle to settle my battery replacement endeavor. Sounded like a great plan. Later, I proceeded to a well-known department store to acquire a battery but they no longer carried the items in inventory. Darn. I left the store to proceed to another well-known department store that surely must have the desired item. Unfortunately, my wife's vehicle failed to turnover at start-up in the parking lot heat with what seemed to be a dead battery. No pre-indicating symptoms! Just a clicking of the solenoid. Yikes. Two vehicles down and now far from home.

I purchased a 350-amp quick starter from the department store hoping it might just offer enough margin to get me going. No such luck. Requires 48-hours of charging to enable effective use as per nominal warnings and instructions. Rather than call emergency roadside service, which by the way we have, and wait for an indeterminable time period for rescue in the heat, I decided on a Plan B to walk the perceived considerable distance to a known battery store, lug the battery home, and at least get my first vehicle going. I could return later to revive the second vehicle.

As I started out on my journey homeward in late morning, admitting to myself that I didn't really have any otherwise truly urgent business to attend to or to re-schedule and could work this solution at my discretion, lo and behold, there was an unanticipated battery and tire store in the proximal area. Returning to Plan A to get her vehicle restored, I purchased a battery for my wife's vehicle, borrowed some jumper cables from the friendly store manager, and proceeded back to my wife's vehicle in a rather short stroll to execute a jump start without changing out the battery per se. It didn't work. I tried everything, checked my assumptions, and then tried it again. I went into the department store and bought a couple of tools to change out the battery, surmising that perhaps the cable interfaces needed cleaning. I switched out the batteries to no avail. The vehicle wouldn't start. Could I possible have an even worse and more expensive problem with her vehicle? Although it crossed my mind that the new battery might be defective, I concluded that it was a quite remote probability. But the clicking solenoid and general car symptoms were sure acting like a weak battery. I called my reliable car mechanic to see if there was anything I wasn't thinking about. He affirmed that I appeared to be covering all the possibilities.

I decided to return to Plan B and get my vehicle at home repaired. I set out to walk the journey in the heat, taking some water bottles with me, and called a neighbor for a possible transportation assist to pick me up, purchase a new battery, and get me home to switch it out. The neighbor was able to assist after a food shopping maneuver and eliminated a long potential walk for me with some of it lugging a heavy battery. I revived my car late afternoon and returned to revive my wife's vehicle in early evening. My vehicle promptly jump-started her vehicle with our reliable chomper cables.

Yikes! I had been given a potentially defective new battery. What are the chances of that? What are the chances of three bad batteries, one of them brand spanking new, in the same morning? After starting my wife's vehicle, I returned the defective battery, had it tested, pronounced defective by competent authorities and calibrated measurement devices, then replaced the unit, and all was back to normal with two now operating vehicles after a long day's endeavor.

The Moral of the Stories. Of course, dear Reader, this a somewhat round-about long story of two interconnected, jumpered tales to get to the moral. You have been so patient with me to get this far in the stories. My last completed painting was four months ago of a pair of "chomper" cables where "Positive Overcomes Negative". I deliberately and literally put away the paints and supplies. Four months later, I started thinking about reviving my commitment to the art blog and Daily Painting activity, and I encountered three dead batteries in one day!  The chomper cables were involved but weren't the main character in the second story. The tale of "A Defective Energy Source" is one of remote probabilities not daily occurrences.

Perhaps the morals of the stories are tried and true. (A) "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again."; (B) "Check your assumptions and run them to Ground [pun intended]"; (C) "Carry emergency and rescue equipment with you"; (D) "Don't Ever Give Up the Ship"; (E) "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed".

But all in all, I would like to think that Painting Number 1: "Positive Beats Negative" is where I would prefer to start my "120 paintings" journey of discovery. It is therefore an Alpha. But it is also an Omega. It is where I left off "Once Upon a Time...." [and all good stories start that way...].

I am not yet ready to declare for myself that the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit are my sole reliable energy sources. To be realistic, I think that assertion would be a potential defect in my overall energy commitments and understandings at this time. But I have concluded that Art is a jumper cable in my life's path. It is a very important part of how I see the world around me and is part of that perspective. It connects the energy sources that I tap into and that I have relied upon and keeps the energy flowing among the necessary imperatives. And it is therefore required in my vehicles. And I have concluded that Art, in the form of the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit, needs to be ready, available, used frequently, displayed, talked about, drawn, painted, and represented as a part of myself in my Daily Walk and in my Life's Journey. No. 1: "Positive beats Negative" is part of my Unique Potential. Now that's a decent moral to the stories. The moral is "Art is like a pair of Jumper [Chomper] Cables". It helps definitize one aspect of Unique Potential. Who would have guessed that I would learn these things over four months after painting a fairly mundane, straight-forward, serendipitous painting? And that I needed to deliberately lay Art aside for a time to find that I could not Leave It Be unless I would deny Self. Not me, to have planned these things, please be assured.

The journey of 120 paintings begins. My eyes are wide open and my ears unstopped. My legs are a bit weary and unstable but I will put one foot in front of the other. My heart and mind are in it. I am "chomping" at the bit. Ouch.

Lavender in Profusion: Busy Bees

Recently I purchased some macro lens filters for my digital camera. I have been wanting to conduct some closeup photography for some time. I was reviewing an older SLR photography book that referenced these filters and went looking to purchase a set. It doesn't require the purchase of an expensive macro-zoom lens since I can use the zoom lenses I already have. With these attached combinations of 1-, 2-, and 4-diopter filters, they definitely offer some new perspectives in the Creative Pursuit.

I would like to say I have been busy as a bee but in comparing relative persistence and productivity, they have me beat hands down. The lavender is in profusion.

 Original Photo: Lavender in Profusion - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

And the honey bees and bumble bees have each blossom covered. I have spent a few moments in sunny mornings chasing bees to capture the appropriate depth of field [pun intended]. They move fast and I have to get within 8-12 inches of them and focus based on my precise distance to the object not by adjusting the lens. It's a chase.

Original Photo: Busy Bee 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Each spring and summer, I watch for the return of the bees to the flower and vegetable gardens and their prodigious behavior throughout the season.

With the advent of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), it's nice to know how the pollen gatherers fare. Entire economies are founded on their successful activity in pollination of our food sources. The study of the worlwide supply chain for honey collection and distribution is a fascinating one. There are interesting effects in the system dynamics because of the effects due to inventories, pricing, long term storage, reconstitution of honey, food labeling, high volume pollination services, cross-country bee transport, and contamination along the production process path that affect the consumer. Honey is considered one of the best foods for general preventive health. Using honey produced from local pollens presumably protects against allergies. For health reasons and to support the local economy, I became convinced to source and use nearby small business and hobby producers. It's all interconnected.

Fragile Weave of Earth's Bounty: Interconnected

In February of this year, I had a dream about a certain set of brushstrokes, couldn't shake it upon awakening, and played with that idea painting small tradecards throughout the day. I developed numerous experiments that were quite abstract compared to anything I have ever done. It was a very serendipitous moment based on a tiny dreamt inspiration. The artifacts were almost more craft than art and I chose not to re-post them in this latest blog phoenix. But in reviewing the works, the original idea about brushstrokes had morphed into topological representations of left-and-right, step-by-step, chains, networks, particles, patterns, hidden wholes within segmented patterns, innovation with methods, different-but-equal, similarity, diversity, sizing, and finally, a small multimedia piece about conflagration of separated pieces. The resultant overall theme, however, was one of Interconnectedness.

During my three month respite from blogworld, I had to wrestle with numerous personal challenges that required my complete focus. But along the way, I read quite profusely as my sole recreation. About a lot of things affecting the world, the USA, the economies, the role of businesses, the peoples of the world, religions, governments, certain countries, certain events, certain issues, beliefs, cultures, group dynamics, the role of the individual, etc. I do not normally engage with political theory and dynamics but have increasingly been reading in that area over the last two years.

I have some ideas and conclusions I am not yet certain what to do with them. Somehow incorporating them into my art seems the most reasonable thing to do. Talk is cheap. So I won't do much more of that for now. Perhaps it will become part of a artistic Manifestoa and commitment in the future?

The very last artifact that I constructed out of the Connectedness journey in February I never posted but I offer it today after this prolonged respite. It characterizes my thoughts and feelings this morning as I get started.

Original Artifact: Fragile Weave of Earth's Bounty-Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Can we craft our future?

A New Dawn: A Quiet Stillness in the Morning

Each day IS a new day.

Perhaps its true that to start a journey on a new path, first, one turns, then, one takes a step at a time in a new direction. Initially, the view isn't any different, but perhaps eventually, the perspective is different, the venue is altered, and a new horizon appears. And along the way, new feelings replace the old memories.

Here's to the dawn of a new day. It usually starts out quiet. This feels like learning to walk again.

Original Photo: Dawn of a New Day - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Evidence of a Struggle: Authenticity

I am listening to the still, small Inner Voice. Look for the royal color in future blogs and see where I venture.

"For all artists the problem is one of finding one's own authenticity of speaking in a language or imagery that is essentially one's own, but if one's self-image is dictated by one's relation to others and all one's activities are other-directed, it is simply not possible to find one's own voice....The painter cannot expend their precious energy in polemic.... Every painting by anyone is evidence of a struggle...."  from The Obstacle Race by Germaine Greer.

Eowyn Wilcox maintains a nice art blog with numerous links to other interesting resources. One of her entries provides the above-mentioned quote. That last sentence is a great insight. I enjoyed surveying her blog and links in my early hours over the last few days. She seems to like the Van Gogh story as well as I.  She got the Greer book for three dollars so she is a bargain hunter too. A kindred spirit. Her melodius name from the Old English means "delightful charger" as in "joyful horse". She also located a great Vincent quote about the Artistic Endeavor in the early venture....

"Do you know what has come into my mind, that in the first period of a painter's life one unconsciously makes it very hard for oneself - a feeling of not being able to master the work - by an uncertainty as to whether one will ever master it - by a great ambition to make progress, by a lack of self-confidence - one cannot banish a certain feeling of agitation, and one hurries oneself though one doesn't like to be hurried. This cannot be helped, and it is a time which one must go through, and which in my opinion cannot and should not be otherwise. In the studies, too, one is conscious of a nervousness and a certain dryness which is the exact opposite of the calm, broad touch one strives for, and yet it doesn't work well if one applies oneself too much to acquiring that broadness of touch. This gives one a feeling of nervous unrest and agitation, and one feels an oppression as on summer days before a thunderstorm. I had that feeling again just now, and when I have it, I change my work, just to make a new start." from Vincent Van Gogh letter to his brother Theo, February 1883

 Photo Courtesy: Artist on the Road to Tarscon - Van Gogh 1888 - Internet Commons Fair Use 

So we shall struggle along in this Artistic Endeavor. Knowing that other's greater than us have gone before us in the same manner. Weigh the anchors. Set the sails. Look for favorable winds. Charging forward to find the momentary joy. Focusing the nervous agitation and unrest of precious energy expenditure in a purposeful direction to the extent that we can. A new season may be emerging. Spring forward.  

Thank you Germaine Greer. Thank you Vincent. Thank you Eowyn.

The Creative Pursuit: Driven Through Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water

We are Human and we are Artists.

We are of the Earth and return to dust, born of Water, cast about by the spirit Winds, and walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death lit only by daily Fires scattered among the Ruins of Chaos. We desire Light amidst the Darkness to establish Order from Chaos. We want to rise up, accomplish much, and Have something different. Which requires that we Be something different. Which requires that we Become something different. Which requires positive Change.

We are Artists and have been given to Believe that if we live our lives in the Artistic Endeavor through the Creative Pursuit, we will attain our ultimate and final Unique Potential which is the reason to Be and the reason to Become. Therefore we shall Create. We must Create to achieve our Unique Potential. We are driven to Create.

But what of Talent? Thinking of the biblical Parable of the Talents, we should avoid burying our one or two or five or ten Talents. To not use the talents we have been given? To Not Do? Oh, the horror! Could we even live with ourselves, never mind others with us? We pay the Price of Sacrifice to create or the Price of Regret to not create. To the biblical adherents, we are then guilty of failing to increase our Talents. There is something inferred here about the Accumulation of Wealth and Worth through Producing. As servants of the absent Master, we may incur His wrath when he returns after having given us those apportioned Talents.

Maybe I won't ever call my artifacts "Masterpieces" to maintain an appropriate position and posture of humbleness. Maybe if I call them "Talent-pieces", I can assuage some guilt. And maybe it is true that I have been given only one small Talent while others have been given many. What am I to do with that one? Bury it and endure the consequence?

And so the Daily Walk continues. It's like pushing a heavy bag of gold coins uphill in the dark in the similitude of Dante's Inferno. But I hope for inspiration and strength from above and outside myself. Illumination along the way. A clear head illumined with the right thinking. I fear the green of envy in my Hoarding consumerism and the red fires of hellish judgment for falling short in so many things along the Spendthrift way. I need focus for my Life's Energy to direct my hands and feet to trod the path and work the works in so short a time that is left. I am out of breath in only the thought. So I am Living the Moment at Idle Acres. Methinks I am leaking gold coin along the way to accumulating Wealth and Fortune. It is a transient farce.

"Now canst thou, Son, behold the transient farce, Of goods that are committed unto Fortune, For which the human race each other buffet; For all the gold that is beneath the moon, Or ever has been, of these weary souls, Could never make a single one repose. 'Master', I said to him, 'now tell me also, What is this Fortune which thou speakest of, That has the world's goods so within its clutches?'" Dante's Inferno Canto VII, lines 61-69

From Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise

Wealth and Fortune - The Transient Farce - Study 01  Souvenir of Dore

Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Art is the human Act of Creation. As humans, we Endeavor through our efforts and wish to have Control for their direction. We desire to have a Voice and speak our World View. We desire to Live Forever. We desire to Overcome our average and ordinary limitations. We desire to avoid living and dying into Obscurity as if we had never been. We are tempted perhaps to lead and have followers. To Build something special. Oh, the many Temptations and Desires that lead us astray from our Endeavors!

The Creative Pursuit and the Artistic Endeavor involve the design and the making of a never-before Artifact springing forth from the unique life experience, observation, insight, heart, mind, soul, and hand of the Artist in a moment of Time. No other soul can truly replicate it because the Artist is THE source of the artifact's creation. It's the grand ah-ha in the eureka moment of inspiration.  It's the grand ha-ha in the divine comedy. Beware the comparison and the contrast!

It is a type of assertion that "We can be as gods" or even that "We can be God". We can create from nothing. We make Light from Darkness. Our Light is separate from the Darkness and our Light will keep Darkness away. It's the eating of the fruit from the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We see what others cannot see and hear what others cannot hear. We walk among the invalids. We are the Genesis.

And who are we that reply against God in this audacious Artistic Endeavor? No small matter then that two of the ten Biblical commandments are "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Warnings and admonitions indeed!  How auspicious then that the Artist might say to the Maker, "Why hast thou made me thus?" as the hand of the potter upon the clay.

As mortal humans, none of us escapes crossing the deathly threshold between Time and Eternity. The work of Art may persevere after our earthly stay is finished and it can no longer be replicated or edited by our hand. Are the artifacts of Art a way to cheat Death by leaving a part of ourselves behind? We can still influence and inspire others through our Works even after we no longer remain in the flesh?  We can be as gods and have a semblance of immortality and truth. People will still talk about us and think about us. We can escape Ignominy. Few knew who Van Gogh was in his day. Look and see his works now. It's a kind of worship with pilgrimage to his haunts.

What of the natural man and the spiritual man? What sayest we in these roles? We are guilty of creating images and likenesses of things seen in heaven and earth. That's fairly self-evident. The natural man wars against the spiritual man. Yikes. Perhaps in different degrees among us. Perhaps in different flavors between us. But Yikes.

Each moment we lay hand to brush to paint to canvas, we create. We speak our Voice. We wrestle with principalities and powers. We wrestle with things unseen as yet. We dream dreams. We wrestle with natural and divine things. We suffer slings and arrows. We take arms against a sea of troubles. We attempt to oppose and end them through our creation. We would like to end the heartache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. And perhaps, there is something in us that declares we may someday be capable of a masterpiece. To express Self. Now are those consummations devoutly to be wished?

If we choose not to lay paint to canvas, we are destined to live and die in Obscurity and Darkness. It's as if we never were. Our personal Darkness will be on the face of the deep. The creation will be without form and void of our Creative Pursuit and Artistic Endeavors.

This Daily Walk is an auspicious and audacious Journey through the natural and spiritual realms. Artists are driven in a unique manner. So I commit to tread lightly but deliberately. And prepare for the coming Judgment.

Today is the Leap Day of the Leap Year. An extra day apportioned in the plan to catch up the clocks for Timekeeping. Given time, can we paint our future, I ask?

Stages of Artistic Growth:

David Liebman has listed numerous Reflections on the Artistic Process worthy of detailed review. If I read him correctly, restate slightly, and add a tad bit in the last two steps, there are six potential Stages of Artistic Growth related to the Artistic Endeavor:

• Initiative:   Understanding and absorption of artistic standards and expectations through appreciation of art history
• Imitation:   Ability to duplicate artifacts and methods to minimum criterion; Practice and learn; Inspired from historical precedent
• Integration:  Personalize and participate; Improve; Develop Balance; Find and explore one's Own Artistic Niche; Develop Artistic Control; Inspired from and affected by contemporary Space and Time
• Innovation: Develop one's own unique Instrument, Importance, and Individual approach; Find and express one's Inner Voice and Self
• Inspiration: Branded Work causes achingly, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, extraordinary responses in Audience; Wants to make Viewer wish to stop, drop, and worship; Instills a significant measure of Humble in the Viewer
• Iconification:  Based on reception by Audience, elevation of individual Artist's Branded Work to heightened social awareness and recognition

Restated in a different way: (1) Start, (2) Copy, (3) Survive and Do, (4) Stretch into Originality, (5) Communicate Emotion, and (6) Famous

Dear Reader: This is not an attempt to make the Path along the Artistic Endeavor too simplistic nor trite. Just some reflections for consideration towards achieving one's Unique Potential.

Bad Art: A Threshold of Acceptance in the Creative Pursuit

Although I find the controversy of who is an Artist versus Not-An-Artist compelling, it is also interesting to me to examine the concept and controversy of Good Art versus Bad Art. There is even a place where we can examine exemplars and non-exemplars directly. It is curious to note the presence of the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) as a place where Artifacts considered "bad art" are curated.  Some of the Artifacts are more representative or "popular" than others to illustrate the genre.

Photo Courtesy: Mama and Babe - Museum of Bad Art (MOBA)

The site provides numerous illustrations for the Good-Bad controversy in what might be considered the extreme end of the range. Society continues to reinforce a strong link between the Artist and their created Artifacts. Yet reviewers seem to be willing to assert that any Artifact that expresses an Artist's creativity is still Art. That's a courteous and respectful position. It is evident in this MOBA venue that Art's appraisal by reviewers is still quite Subjective even in this lower range of acceptability. As bad as an Artifact may appear to be in the majority opinion, there may still be individual reviewer's who assert "It's not that bad and I like it for such-and-such a reason". There are Differences of opinion. Perhaps things to learn about Art and Humanity. How people respond to the value of Respect for Diversity is revealing about the human condition.  I find it useful evidence to support the assertion that Freedom of Expression in Art's Review as well as Freedom of Expression in Art's Creation is an important element in the Artistic Endeavor.  And further, to be respectful, the "Artifact tells us something about the Artist but not everything" and the "role of Artist tells us something about the Person but not everything". I would generally but humbly assert that the Creation tells a lot about the Creator. But probably not everything. So it's not the Final Judgment.

The MOBA Artifacts are also interesting in what they say about the role of Originality in Art. Originality alone is apparently not sufficient to aid an Artifact on its road to becoming acceptable nevermind a Masterpiece. And yet Originality is a desireable and perhaps key attribute many would associate with Good Art and with Art's greatest Masterpieces.

So how do we go about to create and retain Bad Art? Some potential reasons why some Artists fail to reach the threshold and rise above the level of achieving an acceptable art form in their Artifacts might include one or more of the following attributes of Artistic Insight, Formulation, and Expression:

• Failure of Observation
• Failure of Composition
• Failure of Technique
• Failure of Imagination
• Failure of Frame or Installation
• Failure to Balance or Trade Artistic Freedom and Artistic Control
• Failure to Destroy after a Failed Effort or Exploration

I am reminded though that, historically, the Impressionists were allegedly subject to loud and vocal criticism, giggles and guffaws, and ostracism when their work was first shown in public over these listed failures as criticism. Over a number of years. Indeed, their efforts required separate venues and locations to show their work since it was rejected by the established art forums. And yet, within their departure from the mainstream lie the roots of Modern Art.

Perhaps in the MOBA Artifacts we are in fact witnessing a very real Artifact that is a bona-fide expression of a somewhat failed Self at a moment in time through failed Art. And it is difficult to view the genuine and real failure of Another in close proximity in the realm of the Connectedness of Humanity. And again, there is a Range of Failure and a Range of Tolerance to it.

Perhaps there is something to be said about the manner in which the Artist allows their effort to contribute to or destroy their potential Reputation and Brand. Perhaps we are witnessing evidence of a type of self-destruction whether intentional or unintentional in that some Humans and some Artists have not yet learned the self-protective mechanisms helpful to either Survival or Growth or Success. Knowing how to identify a dead-end in the Artistic Endeavor or Creative Pursuit, when to destroy an Artifact, and how to preserve one's core Self and/or artistic process and results amidst an environment of experimentation may be indicated. Sometimes we have to just avoid or stop self-destructive behavior. But it may be true that for some Artists, the need for Self-Expression trumps any other consideration even Rejection or Criticism. It may even be true that some successful Artists have destroyed or painted over Original Artifacts that might be deemed Valuable by Others. Again, is this a Mistake, an Error, a Travesty, or a deliberate Freedom of Expression by the Artist?

Perhaps the MOBA Artifacts tell us not so much about the elements surrounding the Artistic Endeavor but more about the elements important to a successful Creative Pursuit. In other words, each of the Artist's that created an Artifact that ended up in the MOBA applied their Life Force and Energy to their participation in their own Artistic Endeavor along their Life's Journey which appears to be a commendable Journey. But for various reasons, their Creative Pursuit may have left something to be desired. Perhaps the MOBA controversy can be evaluated thus: We are not rejecting their choice of the Artistic Endeavor but we reject or may not accept the results of some aspects of their particular Creative Pursuit. More on the Creative Pursuit at a later date.

Painting My Future: Starting an Unforeseen Mountain Climb One Year Ago

About this time last year, I was researching images for cherry blossom pictures. Springtime was arriving and I was looking in all sorts of places for reference images where I could put some small studies together signifying the harbingers of spring. Part of my thought process emphasizing fruit tree blossoms was triggered due to a review of Van Gogh's image of Japoniere -Almond Blossoms (1890). Many of the Impressionists were influenced by Japanese paintings and this one in particular shows that influence in Van Gogh's effort. I liked the overall composition and color contrast and was thinking that several small paintings could potentially be accomplished as daily painting initiatives focusing particularly on the branches and the blossoms in detail and arrangement. I never did get to do that.

Photo Courtesy: Van Gogh - Japoniere Almond Blossoms (1890) - Internet Commons Fair Use

As you may recall, on 11 March 2011, Japan incurred a devastating earthquake and tsunami. That event changed the scope and direction of what I wanted to portray. My cherry blossom research had incidentally included historical images of the peak period in Washington DC. Those trees were a gift signifying peace, healing, and restoration from Japan to the US people after WWII.  That concept influenced my thinking about the meaning and feeling of the blossoms and was timely Insight.

I was preparing a speech to a group of people about meeting challenges and was developing  the topic of "Why We Climb a Mountain" and, of course, Mount Fuji, was found in some of the cherry blossom images. As I was winding all these keywords [i.e., journey, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, mountain, Fuji, cherry blossom] into my dual tasks of content and image searches for speechmaking and artistic endeavor, I came across a particular woodblock cut entitled The Sea of Satta by Hiroshige (1858) that depicted most of the components of the composition I was interested in portraying except for the cherry blossoms. This was an important historical and Japanese artistic Influence.

 Photo Courtesy: Hiroshige - The Sea of Satta (1858) - Internet Commons Fair Use

I chose to compose a triptych (a three-panel effort in landscape orientation) to facilitate using the painted images in a step-wise progression for my speech exercise and also wanted to include the cherry blossoms as the harbinger of hope and restoration based on those recent events in Japan. I intended to at least finish a rough study of the Artifact to satisfy my intent to derive content, image, composition, color, and overall unity and utilize the images during my speech presentation as well. My thinking at the time was that I would get to a finished Artifact in a more durable medium at a later time.

Souvenir Art: Copyright James E. Martin (2011) - A Study of the Sea of Life

So the short version of the Study of Life's Journey goes something like this: We start in Our Center of Intent with Our Ship and Set Sail in Fair Winds on a Calm Sea to Our Destination to climb The Mountain that we see On the Distant Horizon. But along the way we may get diverted where there may be Hills to Climb with hardscrabble Bonzai trees clinging to the steep Cliffs in High Winds and Hard Weather and there may even be Sweet Blossoms of Spring or Breezes for Repose, Restoration and Hope as we Hike along those difficult Hills and Valleys along the Path. Occasionally, out of immediate sight, we may get hit with a Tsunami that seemingly takes us quite Off Course and may even be Devastating to the Intended Journey. Tsunamis are caused by large shifting tectonic plates underneath the land and sea. Mount Fujiyama lies at the intersection of four of those plates incidentally. But Why Do We Wish to Climb the Mountain? There are many reasons in the diversity of the human endeavor. For some it may be the Destination.  Perhaps because no one has been at the mountain before. Perhaps to say we have done it. Perhaps it's to be the first. Perhaps it's as simple as "To get to the Top". For some it may be the Journey.

Later in the year in September, I experienced my own personal earth-shaking tidal wave of sorts during an occupational Reduction-In-Force layoff but I had heard and felt the pre-indicative rumblings for a long period of time. We don't have a lot of control over some events that happen to us along our Journey. How we handle these events may indicate a lot about who we are, how well we are prepared, how much resolve we have to go forward, and where the source of our strengths lie.

So, this Artifact is still a Work-In-Progress. I didn't get to start the little floral studies. I drafted the tryptich but have not yet initiated the finish piece. The Journey includes the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit. Sometimes there are things we must do to recover after a life-changing event blindsides us. Sometimes we must reconnoiter a new sidestep. Who would have thought where the Path would lead one year ago? Interesting to reflect and look back at my thinking and activity one year ago. Going forward? One step at a time. One in front of the other. Today's Daily Walk. To everything there is a season.

The Equilibrium of Reasonable Art: The Artistic Endeavor

Oddly and somewhat unexpectedly, I have been drawn by Serendipity from my longstanding preference for the Impressionist era into reading and research about the origins of Modern Art evolving from the Impressionist roots. I have been extremely fortunate to come across a copy of Matisse: His art and his public (1951) by Alfred H. Barr, Jr. published by the Museum of Modern Art in NY.

Guillaume Apollinaire, a poet and art critic, interviewed Matisse and wrote up an article in La Phalange in December 15, 1907 and numerous excerpts from the article are noted in Barr's book [underscores below are my editing emphasis]. I am superstruck by those written precepts that resonate with me in these economic times today - more than a century later. This is all about The Artistic Endeavor even though some of the quotes are about Matisse's specific Creative Pursuit leading to the development of his Original Artifacts.

Photo Courtesy Guillaume Apollinaire: Internet Fair Use

• "When I came to you, Matisse, the crowd had looked at you and as it laughed at you, you smiled. They saw a monster there where a wonder was taking shape." [Apollonaire]
• "I have worked to enrich my knowledge by satisfying the diverse curiosities of my mind, striving to ascertain the different thoughts of ancient and modern masters of plastic art. I tried at the same time to understand their technique." [Matisse]
• "...retrace for me the adventures of this perilous voyage to discover your own personality. It proceeds from science to conscience, and leads to complete forgetfulness of everything that is not your own self.....Instinct is no guide; it got lost and we are trying to find it." [Apollonaire]
• "I found myself or my artistic personality by looking over my earliest works. They rarely deceive. There I found something that was always the same and which at first glance I thought to be monotonous repetition. It was the mark of my personality which appeared the same no matter what different states of mind I happened to have passed through." [Matisse]
• "But this took place at its own good time." [Apollonaire]
• "I made an effort to develop this personality by counting above all on my intuition and by returning again and again to fundamentals. When difficulties stopped me in my work I said to myself: 'I have colors, a canvas, and I must express myself with purity, even though I do it in the briefest manner by putting down, for instance, four or five spots of color or by drawing four or five lines which have a plastic expression.' " [Matisse]
• "You have been reproached, my dear Matisse, for this summary expression but you have thereby accomplished one of the most difficult tasks: to give a plastic sense to your pictures without the aid of the object except as it arouses sensations." [Apollonaire]
• "The eloquence of your works comes first of all from the combination of colors and lines. This is what constitutes the artistry of a painter and not - as some superficial spirits still believe - the mere reproduction of the object." [Apollonaire]
• "Henri Matisse makes a scaffolding of his conceptions, he constructs his pictures by means of colors and lines until he gives life to his combinations so that they will be logical and form a closed composition from which one cannot remove a single color or line without reducing the whole to a haphazard meeting of lines and colors." [Apollonaire]
• "To make order out of chaos - that is creation. And if the goal is to create, there must be an order of which instinct is the measure." [Apollonaire]
• "To one who works this way the influence of other personalities can do no harm. He has his inner conviction, which comes from his sincerity; and the doubts which harass him only stimulate his curiousity." [Apollonaire]
• "I have never avoided the influence of others. I would have considered this cowardice and a lack of sincerity toward myself. I believe that the personality of the artist develops and asserts itself through the struggles it has to go through when pitted against other personalities. If the fight is fatal and the personality succumbs, it means that this was bound to be its fate." [Matisse]
• "It is by incessantly comparing his art with other artistic conceptions and by keeping his mind open to other related arts that Matisse has attained the greatness and confident conviction that distinguish him." [Apollonaire]
• "...Know the artistic capacities of all races...[also know] our inheritance.....find here the nourishment that we love....and the spices from other parts of the world can at most serve us as seasoning....in spirit....meditate upon.....standing at this crossroad......look at himself.....find the path which his triumphant intuition shall follow with confidence....." [Apollonaire]
• "We are not in the presence of some extremist adventure....the essence of Matisse's art is to be reasonable....The conscience of this painter is the result of his knowing other artistic consciences. He owes his plastic innovations to his own instinct or self-knowledge." [Apollonaire]
• "Because there is a relationship between ourselves and the rest of the universe, we can discover it and then no longer try to go beyond it." [Apollonaire]

Dear Reader, this is precisely about the Artistic Endeavor...it is precisely about the Creative Pursuit.....it is precisely about the Inner Voice....it is precisely about finding Self in the universe of greater things...it is precisely about creating Order from Chaos....but in my humble opinion, it is not only about Creation or about Art or about Objects, not only about the development of an Original Artifact, and not only about being just an Artist.

It is about the application of one's Life Force and Energy. It's about reaching one's Unique Potential.

The "Equilibrium of Reasonable Art", a phrase that Guillaume Apollinaire instantiated in 1907....is a lot about Changing the World. But in a form and a format that has Informed Reason by the Individual, of the Individual, and for the Individual. It is all about the buying and selling of an Individual's developed Self and Expression in whatever Occupation the Artist endeavors in the Market Realm of Greater Things. This is not a trivial notion.

But what about Resistance, and Impedance, and Controls, and Differences, and Opinions? What about Tyranny and Oppression and Famine and Poverty? What about Selling Out? What about Giving Up? What about just Getting By? What about Respect and Diversity? It's about the Struggle. It's about Supply and Demand. It's about our personal Exchange through multiple Transactions with Others in the grand Marketplace for Things of Value. We each define what Value is for us at a moment in time, do we not? What do we Buy? What do we Sell? What do we Produce? What do we Consume? It's about Freedom of Expression. Are we actually free? And to what degree? It's what we choose to surround ourselves with. It's about  practical matters such as "Is_Anyone_Demanding_What_I_Want_to_Supply"? Or Is_Anyone_Consuming_What_I_Am_Producing? At what Price? At what Cost? It's about Change. It's about resolving Fairness and Equity. It's about the Past, the Present, and the Future.

Art has always been a Lightning Rod serving as a conduit for Potential Energy that Changes the World. Individuals expressing Self. Individuals who wish to criticize and Control Others. Individuals working and laboring to obtain what they Want or Need. It's a grand scheme of Equilibrium. My personal opinion is that it is not just about Art. Thank you Mr. Matisse and Mr. Apollonaire.

A JEM Model of Attribution: (I) Impressions to (J) Journey to (E) Expressions

In many of the art manifestoas that I have reviewed, Freedom of Expression is consistently asserted. I have been recently wrestling with a model of assertions that expands and explains the influence of potential freedom for the Artist. There appears to be a lot of debate, sometimes vehement, sidling close to arrogant and downright hostile, about what Art is, who is an Artist and who is Not An Artist. I find the dialog compelling.

From my humble perspective, I would hypothesize a model of approach to art in a three step phase approach: (1) The Impressions, (2) The Journey, and (3) The Expressions. Remember this for the end of today's entry, OK? To anyone who is methods-oriented, this aligns to an "Inputs-Process-Outputs (IPO) descriptive model. To clarify with different nomenclature perhaps more from an Artist's vantage point of what happens at each phase, I offer a restatement of the three steps: (a) Artistic Insight, (b) Artistic Formulation, and (3) and Artistic Exhibition. Insight, Formulation, and Exhibition, in my opinion, are closely related not just to the development of the Original Artifact but are also closely associated with the Artistic Self. Also, I would further submit that the Journey to Originality for the Artist is also about distinguishing Self from Others on the road to achieving one's Unique Potential.

Now, I offer an added definition layer to the onion skin with an emphasis on each component's contribution to the Artist's prime directive of Originality as a result of Freedom exercised at each phase of artistic execution, therefore:

The Journey                     Description                                    The Output
The Creative Pursuit          Concept Innovation for Originality    Artistic Insight
The Artistic Endeavor         Develop Approach for Originality      Artistic Formulation
The Original Artifact          Attraction of Others to Originality    Artistic Exhibition   

The purpose of citing a possible model approach is not necessarily to prescribe a three step "process" to producing art although it may serve to provide a very high level menu approach. Rather, for me, it is a descriptive summary and consolidation of many different observations and anecdotes about artist's Worldviews and Perspectives about how they approach their endeavor. As a working hypothesis, I can utilize this model of thinking to fit scenarios and anecdotes as an instrument to evaluate Differences in Worldviews and Perspectives. I want to investigate whether there is a model approach than can embrace the various artist experiences in all their complexity.

I personally am interested in exploring (A) Freedom in Artistic Insight during the Creative Pursuit, (B) Freedom in the Artistic Formulation during the Artistic Endeavor, and (C) Freedom in Artistic Exhibition through the Artist's Creation of the Original Artifact. I am further interested in how Art has an impact on and can Change the World. Or how it has historically changed the world.

Going forward, I intend to sign my artwork with my initials "JEM" which, of course, attributes the work to my heart, head, and hand. But I also intend those initials to signify "Just Every Man". The rationale herein is to understand the human experience and human nature through the experience of Art and to understand what it means to Change the World through the practice of the Creative Pursuit, the journey associated with the Artistic Endeavor, and the impact on the Artist and the Viewer due to the creation of the Original Artifact. Without disrespect to gender-biased language use, it is about "Just Every Man" to be inclusive in generic use of the term with respect and diversity.

Further, going forward, I intend to sign three letters after my initials signifying my personal relative emphasis on each of the three aspects of the work described in this blog entry denoting Impression/ Journey/ Expression, upper or lower case to signify emphasis, i.e. "IJE" or "ije" or "Ije" or  "iJe" or "ijE" or "IJe" or "iJE" or "IjE"....eight possible combinations.  Individual works may have more Life Force and Energy associated with the Insight, Formulation, or Expression phases of my creation of that particular Artifact. I will denote that sense of my perspective. For instance, I may conduct a painting after a long hike to locate the correct motif and perspective with more innovation and emphasis on the immediate observation in nature but with lesser regard for innovating in the selection of media or the time spent on the developing the artifact itself because of the need to expedite it due to environmental conditions. I might sign that Original Artifact "JEM-Ije". On the other hand, I may execute a work from a photo or a still life arrangement where relatively little emphasis is on the Insight or the Formulation of approach but much more emphasis is placed on the Expression of the idea in the development of the Original Artifact itself...the painting style and details to accomplish the desired end result. I would sign this Original Artifact "JEM-ijE".  Based on feedback over time, I may have some insights to share on the JEM model, the Artist, and the Viewer perspectives about Art. Could be fun.

The Late Summer of Life: Season of Change

Although we may live in the best of times, it appears and feels as if the times are a'changing on a global scale. In September 2011, I was part of a Reduction-In-Force layoff where I worked for 11 years. After a few weeks of getting some administrative things in order, I set up the easel in a nearby town next to a gently flowing stream and applied paint to canvas. Needed to get more dabs of Impressionism laid down. It was not necessarily a secluded motif and a few observers popped over and quietly partook of the Work-In-Progress.... aren't we all?

Original Art: Season of Change, Copyright James E. Martin 2011

I can look back at many canvases I have painted in my lifetime and they have spoken of events in my life with feelings at that moment in time. I surmise that the meaning of this one will continue to mature over time as I look back. Leaves may be falling at the end of one season but the water still flows, the light still shines, and this season too shall pass. The location and motif made me reminisce about canals in Holland 16 years ago. Which reminds me of two other paintings I would like to start and complete with someone in mind (as I take out my To Do list and add entries).

The Best of Friends: A Mentor of Stuff n'Such

Every year during the summer, we have taken some time to coordinate a visit with long-time friends in Sangerville Maine on a lake called Center Pond. When I was an undergraduate in college out in Illinois, I became friends with one of my college professors and worked for him and his family doing some construction projects in Illinois or in Maine. Over time, we became best friends. In fact, Bob has defined for me what a best friend is about and that hasn't always been easy for me...a very private and independent person. Bob is chuckling now.

A few years ago, I decided that I would do at least one piece of art each year during the time that I went up to Maine. In my mind, it would be imperative for me to do SOMETHING at SOMETIME no matter what other activities or imperatives might be at hand...and it hasn't always been easy. One of my first Impressionistic waterscapes was At the Lake, Sangerville Maine. I remember the challenge of the wind changing the waves, the clouds, and the light so quickly. I was able to experience where the Impressionists in France would then try to capture the feeling associated with the essence observed of the motif based on the exact moment's accidental experience captured during the artist's en pleine aire session. Looking North with a late afternoon sun in the west and wind from the east, I tried to capture the churning of the water and the light filtering through the shallows with the late sunlight backlighting the tree's at high level but the low shrubs at water's edge shrouded in cool, dark shadow. My vantage point included left foot on the beach and right foot in the water so there is a bright and warm sun and a coolness in the wind and water challenging each other and me.

Original Art: At the Lake, Sangerville Maine, Copyright James E. Martin 2009

For all those past thirty years of visiting Maine, through my eyes, Bob Cassidy, my friend and mentor, has always done some creative artistic thing in some shape or form. I don't think he ever really retired after finishing his occupational endeavors because he soon emphasized his art full-time and got a street-side studio.....Stuff n'Such in Illinois. I have been fortunate to have Bob as a mentor in that I have seen him develop over a long period of time as an artist, he has given me insight into the lifetime curve years ahead of my time to arrive there. I am watching his art career emerge and evolve because his example as a lifetime learner has helped me see what it is to return to one's roots, understand one's self, find one's center of balance, begin and walk the artistic endeavor, and follow the creative pursuit even amidst adversity and life's challenges. He is still asserting self expression with an intense personal drive to continue his art journey each and every day with a sense of urgency. And he has such a wonderful family that I have been privileged to know and love.

Thank you Bob for showing me that I have an Artistic Endeavor and a Creative Pursuit to accomplish during my life's Journey and the deep satisfactions that are possible. I just talked with Bob and he filled me in on his art accomplishments conducted today and his outlook for the near future that he needs to get done. He is a fine example of the artist Living In The Moment and ambling through the Daily Walk. Here's to achieving one's Unique Potential this day.