New Online Art Gallery

I've updated my Online Art Gallery over at WhatDoWeKnow.com

http://www.whatdoweknow.com/galleryjay.html

Go check it out. There are lots of paintings, drawings and digital doodles to amaze, amuse, and generally waste time looking at.

I had fun making them. Who knows, maybe you will be inspired to buy a work of art of your own.

Hugs... Jay

Cool Blue Mystery

Sometimes a mystery
Works her way into your life
Turning over certainties
Pulling the rug out from under
And landing you firmly
On your ass
Smiling
As you look up
At her loving mischievousness
You are ready to tumble
Again
And again
As long as your heart
And your body holds out
Welcoming
Your cool blue mystery

---------

Cool Blue Fire: Acrylic on canvas

Super Secret Process Revealed

I know there are lots of industrial spies just waiting to figure out how I produce my top-selling paintings, so it is probably going to kill my art career posting these pictures. But if all 23 of my readers promise not to tell anyone, I will probably get away with this. Otherwise, the art market will be flooded with cheap rip offs, so keep this to yourself and don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.

I am in the middle of a new painting. I don’t know what it is called yet, names come last.
I started by laying down a base of solid colors in acrylic, just so the canvas wouldn’t be white anymore. Then I laid the canvas flat and splashed on some very wet yellow, red, purple and black ink. Lots of black and lots of yellow.

While all this wet ink was running and bleeding I took a big piece of plastic (the plastic bag from the art supply store actually) folded it up like a big paper fan. Then I spread out the plastic and lowered it onto the wet canvas so that the fan lines all spread out from the center of the canvas. The plastic touches wet paint and ink in some places (the low parts of the fan) and doesn’t touch in others (the high points of the fan).

Then I left the whole thing to dry for a day or so. The paint and ink dries slower where the plastic touches it and faster where the air can get in. It also leaves distinct ridges in the paint where the edges are. This causes the paint and ink to create random shapes that are very geologic in appearance.

I then went scavenging through magazines for pictures and patterns of interest. I cut them out and saved them for later.

When the plastic came off, I got to see the pattern produced for the first time. Then I played around with different placements of the paper cutouts, looking for patterns that I like.

That is where I am with this one. Later (probably this weekend), I will lay on some more paint to enhance the pattern and start gluing down paper. I’ll post another update letting you (all 23 of you) know how it turned out. Keep your fingers crossed. If I screw this one up it would be kind of embarrassing at this point. But if things come together, it might be a work of art.

Mobile Computing Nirvana

Doodling to fill the empty spaces
In a conference call
The lines are very thin
But space is vast

Happy Birthday Chani

It was Chani's birthday on Sunday.

My youngest is now 12.

She had a nice party and took her friends to the movies:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Disconnect the Alarm

Itchy trigger fingers
Frequently squeeze off a few extra rounds
Put that thing down
Before we hurt some one
I Heart Lily
Despite her tantrums
We all get wound up tight
Some times
Well okay, every fucking day
So ride that wind horse
Don’t let it ride you
And be grateful for the work
Even as it works you over
Last one out turn on the lights
And disconnect the alarm
Empty rooms don’t need protecting

Plasma Scream Flat Panel World

Don’t think for a moment
That I am unaware of the irony
The self reflexive flattery
Of producing these digital expressions
All about me
Or the avatar of me
Or at least the icon of me
In multiple media channels
That filter the universe
That mediate the universe
And mirror it back on me
The center of this blogospheric
Narcissistic elastic metafantastic
Computer generated horror show
That is me on teevee watching me

Ever notice how things feel
When you have slept on your arm
And your hand is numb
The most exquisitely sensual objects
Just become interrupting barriers
Jarring reminders that you cannot feel

Ever notice how life feels
When you have been put to sleep
By the weight of all those mediated channels
Blogs, websites, teevee, newspapers, radio hosts
Ever notice?
Even the most exquisitely sensual experiences
Just become high definition barriers
Flat panel plasma screen surround sound
Interrupting barriers
Jarring reminders that you cannot feel
Ever notice?

Don’t think for a moment
That I am unaware of the irony
But enough about me
Let’s talk abut my new cd

Just Now

Reading Saul Williams

Saul Williams is an artist of words.
He has been around for quite a while, but only recently discovered by me.
Lately I have been swimming in him, soaking in his words, being penetrated by his energy. In the last week I have read three of his books, SHE, said the shotgun to the head, and The Dead EMCEE Scrolls.
Wow.
Saul is a poet, timeless and yet timely.
I am grateful to have discovered his words.

This is but a brief sample:

they say
that i am a poet

i wonder what
they would say
if they saw me
from the inside

i bottle
emotions
and place them
into the sea
for others
to unbottle
on distant shores

i am unsure
as to weather
they ever reach
and for that matter
as to whether
i ever get
my point
across

or my love

even my pen man ship
throws thoughts overboard
into a black sea

and how many thoughts perish
before they reach the page?

--- Saul Williams, SHE, 1999

Where Is My Hair?

Wild weekends
Spent with wild women
Result in realignments
And renegotiations
With the material world
The boundaries of my mind
Are not the boundaries
Of my skull
Of my brain
Of my capacity to speak
Words which though clear
Concise
Syntactically correct
Do not come close
To containing the meaning
The knowledge
The experience
Which lures me onward
Then knocks me on my ass
Struck dumb
So that all I can manage
Is to watch my breath
That cosmic in and out
To be aware of my breath
And the thump, thump, thumping
Of my heart
Pump, pump, pumping
The contents of the
Entire fucking world
In and out of
That cosmic me
Like sticky syrup
Not always sweet
But sustaining
Thump, pump, fucking
Through my veins
Weather vanes
All expressions are in vain
True poetry a pain
In my dumb ass
As I sit
In the presence of
God ESS ness
Dumb founded
Pointing with a child’s finger
To the reflection of the moon
In the still waters
Of an ocean
We are all rushing toward

Shadow of a Wing

There once was a man who thought himself king
His kingdom was small
Composed of many cages
Song birds in them all
Waited on by no pages
All their needs met by the man who thought himself king

Sweet song for the dawn
Mournful song for the moon
Song issued from all the small cages
The man wondered what song
The birds would sing for the wind
But he could not bear to free them
So he paraded them each day
Down the towns dusty streets
Hands loaded with wire cages

The townspeople were greeted
Each day around noon
By whispering songs on the wind
The songs made them feel hopeful
Yet strangely forlorn
When the twittering faded into the distance

There was a man who thought himself king
He ruled over many small cages
Birds sang in them all
Until one day while taking his walk through town
All the bird fell silent, never to sing again
When the shadow of a wing fell upon them

One wild cry
Came down from the sky
And the shadow of a wing fell upon them

---------
Shadow of a Wing, Acrylic, Ink & Paper on Canvas

Jammed Up at the Crossroads

Too many chosen people
Jammed up at the crossroads
Confused about what to do
With prophets made of stone

Again
You gotta keep those redhead girls
Firmly on your side
They know where bones are buried
They know those fears you hide
Pickled in a secret jar
Not deep but very wide

Again
Too many one-eyed captains
Too many monkey ships
Jammed up at the crossroads
Where even elephants forget

Again

-----

Jammed Up at the Crossroads, Acrylic, Paper & Ink on Canvas

Time to Paint

It’s my birthday. I’m 44.
My wife asked me what I wanted.
I said, I feel a painting coming on.
So she gave me a whole day to paint.
And this is what came of it.
Two pictures, like bookends.
I put Saul Williams and John Mayers on the stereo.
I put them on repeat.
You can see their music running as a white line,
A cardiograph of sound cutting through the clutter.
I took a deep breath.
I trusted my mind, my intuition.
And created something I still do not know the meaning of.
I will put up better pictures one day when I’m older.

For now I am just happy to have created something.

Listening To: The Apples In Stereo

New Magnetic Wonder by The Apples in Stereo
I have to admit that I have never listened to these guys before. But I downloaded their newest album from eMusic.com and have found it to be an addictive package of lovely tunes. I don’t know what the band sounded like previously, but on this album they seem to be channeling the ghosts of many 70’s pop icons. You can hear Beach Boys and Beatles influences, especially George Harrison-esc turns of phase on songs like “Energy.” There are lush Electric Light Orchestra moments complete with vocoder chorus in “Same Old Drag,” that will make my friend Steve (an old ELO fan) swoon with nostalgia.

But for all the classic pop influences, the Apples still manage to make the album feel fresh and not just derivative. There are a lot of tracks on the album because there are 12 “link tracks” between the more conventional tunes, so if you are paying by the song for downloads skipping these short tracks might save some money. But I found the whole collection worthwhile, fun and groovy.

And it’s got a great beat and you can dance to it…4 out of 5 stars for this gem.

Flying Lessons

At dusk a strange bird
Appeared to the assembly
Crying, calling
A coven to convene
Chanting, weaving
Stories kind and devilish
Building momentum
Whirling like a dervish
Shining light blinding
Stretching out his shadow
Casting it beneath our feet
For all and one to see
Tracing out patterns
Holy and obscene
Blessing, baptizing
Inviting the willing
We soar for an hour
On borrowed crows wing
Flying, wheeling
Returning for a landing
Excited and relieved
Panting, sweating
Unchanged and yet redeemed
Tales will be told tonight
Told, but not believed

Listening to Stuart Davis Live

March 3rd, 2007
After having dinner with Stuart Davis, we all headed to the Tractor Tavern and got great front row seats for the show. The crowd was not huge, about 70 people I would estimate, but the Tractor is not a very large club so it did not feel empty.

Stuart performed solo with just his acoustic guitar for accompaniment. He started right off with a version of Good Wyrd from his ?What album. Stu is able to produce a very full sound for a solo performer. He has a strong vocal style and an intimate mastery of his guitar. He even managed to use the stage like a kick drum adding a thumping bass to many of his songs.

Stuart’s sense of humor was on good display. After the first song he joked that we had just heard the only song he had written. He was very proud of it, but now he realized that a concert really should include more than just one song, no matter how good it was. Later after singing a song, he said that he had written us a new song while performing the previous one. Now that is talent!

Davis played lots of tunes from his new album, but he also played older songs and asked the audience to call out requests. From the number of suggestions shouted out it was obvious that the crowd was very familiar with his work. Stuart is a charismatic performer and he has an easy going yet fearless manner which really helps him to connect with his audience. And his engaging blend of irreverent humor and spiritual depth makes him a unique artist.

There was a fashion show going on just down the street from the club, so Stuart had great fun trying to convince the entire audience to strip naked and crash the fashion show with him right after the gig. He claimed that David Bowie would want us to do it, and he sang a few bars of Bowie’s Fashion to motivate us.

Earlier at dinner, I had complained to Stuart that I had still never heard a full version of his song, Ladder from his Self Titled 2003 album. I had only heard portions of the song on the Kosmos CDs by Ken Wilber. I have tried to purchase the album from Stuart twice but received the new ?What album by mistake. So I was pleased and honored when Stuart closed the show by playing Ladder for us. It is a great song about evolution and spiritual development. “The higher that we climb, the more the ladder sways. There is more to evolution than a little DNA.”

After the show Davis sold CDs and took time to talk with everyone who waited in line to see him. He remembered many of the fans and there were lots of hugs going around.

Stuart Davis is an interesting and talented musician and an engaging performer. After enjoying his studio work it was thrilling to see him perform live in such an intimate setting. If you ever have a chance to see Stuart Davis live, do it!

Thanks Stuart for a great show and a memorable evening. Love and hugs.

Hanging Out with Stuart Davis

March 3rd was a memorable evening for a lucky group of people in Seattle, me and my wife included. We got to hang out with musician and artist Stuart Davis before his show at the Tractor Tavern.

I discovered Stuart through his work at Integral Institute, especially Integral Naked. As I was eagerly awaiting his Seattle appearance I discovered that there is a local group of Integral fans, Seattle Integral, and that several of them were planning on getting together for dinner before the show. So I told my wife, Evelyn, that we should drop by the Tai restaurant and see if we could figure out which table was the Integral table. Unfortunately, I had never met anyone from the group and had only found one picture online of one of the members named Gary Stamper. As luck would have it, there was Gary looking just like his picture, sitting right by the window.

Evelyn and I introduced ourselves and started talking with the great folks from Seattle Integral (all of whose names I do not remember) when this very tall young man came in and started giving hugs all around the table. It was none other than Stuart Davis, the man we had all come to see that evening. Stu sat down next to me and we talked and ate dinner together.

Stuart talked about a movie project he is working on. Evelyn and I gave him advice on parenting two girls, something we have in common. We talked about music, film, art, kids, relationships, Mormonism, Ken Wilber and lots more. I found him to be as intelligent, funny and articulate in person as he is in his work. Everyone at the table had a fantastic time, including Stuart.

Stuart left after another round of hugs to go do his pre-show sound check, and we all settled up our bill and walked down the street to the Tractor Tavern for the show. See the next post for details of the show. After the show most of us got together with Stuart at a nearby bar and shared some more stories before the evening came to a close.

A good time was had by all and I look forward to getting together with the Seattle Integral gang again in the near future. I’m also looking forward to a new live CD Stuart recently recorded and any other new work he blesses us with. Sometimes it pays off when you just barge in and introduce yourself to strangers.

Thanks Stuart for being such an open and sharing guy! We hope to see you in Seattle again as soon as possible.

In Like a Lion

We have been getting more snow in Western Washington. This has been a wild winter already, and we have all been looking forward to spring. Suddenly the Equinox looks far away...
I told my daughter, Chani, that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But she says that this March is way too white and fluffy to be a lion, so it must be coming in like a lamb. I hope not, because that means the month might go out like a lion.

Here is a classic haiku about snow and much more:

Just being here,
I am here,
And the snow falls.
--- Issa

Monkeys in Space

Sometimes I get nostalgic
For futures that died in the past
Strap on your jet pack
Grab your favorite monkey
And ride that rocket to the moon