I Chased the Sun

After a nurturing

cloudy rainy rolling thunder high in the sky

kind of yesterday,

this morning I awoke

and chased the sun.

I found it

peering through

my bedroom window...

streaming past the dining room chair

onto the wall I call an easel...

catching the translucency

of the glass beaded bowl

that hold my vitamins

on the kitchen counter...

resting on the back of the piano...

that sparked the thought

to play some
Mindy Gledhill

because

sometimes
that's
what I do...

and then I decided

to venture outside...

where I used it's magic

to steep some wild berry tea I concocted

in a large
old
pickle jar...

until I noticed
the sun had found

a spot

to skip through the forest
straight towards
the fire pit...

given the optimal view

I indulged in a little

light reading about the

human brain...

when I discovered the

remnants from the overnight rain...

I realized it was
the perfect setting...

for this guy or gal

(who I shall call Walrus)

to cruise

along the pea gravel path...

at which point I knew

this was the perfect place
to create
and pull from my inspiring morning
of chasing the sun.

Postcard Initiative: Artist Dawn Nielson

I've decided to create and set into motion

an end of the summer project titled

The Postcard Initiative.

This concept allows the art in this post

to be shared with all who comes in contact

and takes a second to absorb the images and message

if even for only a few seconds. 

It's possible it will bring a peaceful moment to a hectic day.

I have posted them onto my Facebook site

giving them wings to fly.

Those who have connected in strong fashion

I chose to mailed them the piece 

via USPS, unannounced.

I anxiously awaiting the response.

This method places them into additional circles

of people unknown to me having the capacity to

shift their day into a more positive

realm. Maybe they won't effect some,

however their exposure out in the world

very well could alter someones

thoughts changing the way they

think and behave in that moment thus creating

a positive, pleasant chain reaction.

Two have been released into the void

making their way to their destination.

This could be the beginning of a

practice larger than myself.

And that would be a very good thing.

I invite you to participate

in your own unique way.

This group, on water color paper,

I roughly sketched a vague composition

based on my whimsical mood of the moment.

Watercolors and Micron pens soon followed.

Having a John Cage frame of mind

I continued each piece without a

grand-master plan.

Allowing chance to direct their existence.

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CLICK for USPS postcard size and weight regulations.

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While you're creating your own postcard initiative project

perhaps you would be listening to this nugget of goodness.

County Fair

 

Simple

Dust

Smiles

Dizzy

Tradition

Spangled with familiar faces and then...no

Rickety

Vintage

Peculiar

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Studio Dread Zeppelin

Handcrafted frame to reflect a blurred self.

 Do not dwell in the past,

Do not dream of the future,

concentrate the mind

on the present moment.

~Buddha~

My crown, well...one of a few of course.

Constant reminder. 

Cluster of inspiration. 

 Old and new with a view.

Shine on their own. 

 Another's reminder to stay on track.

 Ready and waiting.

A damn good find.

A wall of many nails for many things.

My crown, of course.

 Weekly Facebook Friends art challenges.

 Tools of nonverbal forms of communication.

 Mandala for the bum.

Much loved and appreciated.

 A Hawthorne shop impulse buy.

 Blue bubble vase keeper of cords.

There's always laundry.

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Since the discovery of Pandora years ago I've neglected to use the itunes library I so tenaciously built when I had my coffeehouse from 2003-2008. As I've been cleaning out my studio I've allowed it to run a muck playing a vast array of genres from AC/DC to The Violent Femmes spangled with Joni Mitchell and a little Reiki Chant or twelve. Bach and Karsh Kale and Dread Zeppelin also made their way into the mix, somewhat scattered but it all made sense.

Windows of the Mentally Ill

In the spring of 2012 I toured the Oregon State Mental Hospital

with my theory of art & psychology class.

We were told we were possibly the last public tour group

to pass through the underground tunnels and old buildings of the campus

before the new owners took over in June 2012.

I took many photos of the grounds and buildings.

I found the windows to possess a sense of entrapment

whether viewed from the outside in or from the inside out.

Most of them are from the abandon children's ward.

Although most of the furniture has been removed

there are still remnants of it's previous occupants

lying about.

I'm particularly intrigued with the views from

within the buildings, the perspective of a patient.

Below are three photos from inside the children's playroom...

The next is the children's solitary confinement...

A view from the play yard...

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