April 2014

4.1.2014

4.2.2014

	Happy pre-blossom, air warmer, grass brown, but a few green sprouts, birds fighting, squirrels digging, kids in the yard, and one last patch of ice to melt Day! Three deep breaths is the proper celebration.
4.3.2014

	Courting Spring
4.4.2014

	Water Moving Downhill As simple as As natural as As unstoppable as Nothing else possible The natural order Given Earth, The water cycle, Topography, Porosity of soil, Cohesion of water molecules, The stream behind the barn is swollen With water moving downhill, Awakened by gravity's constant pull, And the rush of the rapids And the calm of the pond.
4.5.2014

4.6.2014

4.7.2014

4.8.2014

	In the morning as the world opens...
4.9.2014

	Dissolution arising Naturally encounters resistance While the absence present ...or the present absence Shapes the path
4.10.2014

	Getting ready for takeoff...
4.11.2014

4.12.2014

	Azaleas peaking.
4.13.2014

	Spring cycle, memorable patterns, new growth.
4.14.2014

	Irrationally Intertwined
4.15.2014

4.16.2014

4.17.2014

	Emptiness and Compassion
4.18.2014

	Louisiana gravel
4.19.2014

	We left a brown carpet, And returned to a green meadow.
4.20.2014

	Squared away
4.21.2014

	Earth is our idea.
4.22.2014

	Removing hidden obstacles. I find oneness so greatly dependent on the degree to which I can abandon myself to the work.
4.23.2014

Amplifying Presence Making art is chaotic. I often find myself overwhelmed by the all consuming intensity of the process. One month ago I finished a super-sized artwork that was in production for almost six months. This work is the culmination of many cycles. One cycle that had lasted seventeen years unexpectedly came to fruition in this piece. I was elated. By early April, the inevitable post-production let down began. What would I do next? What did I have to say? Would it be any good? Would anyone buy it? I was not worried. When I need a map of the creative process I turn to the 10 Zen Ox herding pictures. I trust the creative process. In this very open, in-between time, before I plan the next large work, I promise myself that I will do more than just visual art; I will also be mindfully aware of each stage as it unfolds. So far, so good. The process has been closely adhering to the map of the ox herding pictures. Each stage I've seen so far is summed up here: Stage 1) Late March/Early April - Seeking the ox - For several weeks I was in dissolution, seeking a direction, unable to find the path. Stage 2) Mid April while traveling home - Finding the tracks- A few new compositions, some ideas begin to form and fit together, I get excited about how the charcoal looks on primer, and suddenly I have a path to follow. Stage 3) Early this week - new imagery and good ideas for the next large work. This is stage three of the Ox herding images when the ox appears, and, as if on cue, the image above appeared. Now I must amplify that presence, grab it by the horns, and bring it into the world. I leave you with the verse that often accompanies the third ox herding image: A nightingale warbles on a twig, the sun shines on undulating willows. There stands the Ox, where could he hide? That splendid head, those stately horns, what artist could portray them?

4.24.2014

4.25.2014

4.26.2014

4.27.2014

	Releasing both resistance and insistence allows a drawing to emerge. Releasing resistance is naturally letting go. Releasing insistence is patience. Drawings don't like to be told what to do.
4.28.2014

	Figure and ground embrace.
4.29.2014

	It rained all day.
4.30.2014