Watermark

Niki's shop is open!

Niki's Etsy shop is up, and has several gorgeous things to choose from. Niki and I have been friends for more years than either of us probably want to recall; she has been steadfast through many difficult times for me.

So I am delighted to see her 'go public' with her skills and talents. She has a wonderful eye for color, and the perseverance to master one craft after another. Mosaics is her most recent obsession (and I mean that in a good way.)

She has done, and doubtless will do, many other kinds of art. Keep your eye on her shop, and her blog.

Winter White

This lovely winter scene is by Catnapping, another Montana blogger. A perfect holiday greeting, posted here with her permission.

May we continue to be blessed with beauty and generosity, and may peace come to, and from, us all.

Winter Branches

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

DICK CHENEY IS WATCHING YOU

Made with fd's flickr toys.

He's become an archetype, hasn't he? Or inhabited one.

I found the original on the sidewalk in downtown Missoula. It made me shudder, and laugh, at once.

Snapshot Poem 16 August 02006

Poet on a Mountain Top from Classic Chinese Paintings

I Send Out This Paper Boat

August now, and three years --
four? -- since I've touched
your arm, heard that river-
bed voice. I grow old,

my hair lengthens and thins
at once, gray at the temples.
My body declines in every
sense. Our lives so far

apart, this sea too wide
for even dreams to bridge.
Both our beaches littered
with shards, lovers left

and leaving, broken shells
of expectations and demands.
There are wars between us;
storm and flood and deadly

drought; a long, desolate
peace. Our lives thin down
to this: one or two tenacious
friends, deep-rooted against

time, against wind and loneliness.
A few sparse lines in a Chinese
painting: one tree clings to the cliff,
branches stunted and bent; sea-

battered, salt-worn, but still
it holds. It holds.

Fabulous Photography

I am feeling distinctly uncreative lately; or as friend Abigail says, intensely inactive. Luckily, others are out there making marvelous things to inspire the rest of us, and I intend (with their permission) to exploit those inspirations this week.

Above is Loren Webster's Nature Montage. He tells us in comments how he did it:

I did it in Photoshop by applying different layers, SB.

I began with shot of a lily, used posterize to emphasize the lines, did one layer of patterns with the belted kingfisher, another layer with an abstract pattern, set the mode to overlay and then played around with opacity until I got a blend that I liked.

I think I can do most of that in Photoshop Elements, and intend to try -- when I'm done being intensely inactive.

Owen's back!

Antoni Albalat

A few months ago, I received a request from a flickr photographer (and poet) to trade prints; he wanted a print of one of my bird photos, and in exchange he would send me one of his, of my choosing. A look at his photostream -- and his wonderful visual poems -- left me feeling very flattered -- but as my printing capacity is limited, I assured him he was free to download anything of mine he liked, and that an exchange would be welcome but quite unneccessary.

One day last week -- a tired day, a slow day, an uninspired day -- an unexpected package came in the mail. A beautiful book of art photos, from Spain. Such a lovely mystery; an unfamiliar language. Then, a familiar name, a familiar style:

Here is the large size of The only ghost I ever saw, the piece pictured above. At the back of the book, in English:

ANTONI ALBALAT

Antoni Albalat Salanova is an Information and Linguistic Advisoer at the Language and Terminology Service of the Univrsitat Jaume I...

...Since 1989 when he published his first poetic prose book, Aviram espars, his litereary career has included over a dozen collections of poems and numerous collaborations in anthologies, on both discursive and visual poetry...

Here, a long list of prizes, publications (this one sounds really fun) and exhibitions -- including a note that ...his work can be found in several private collections in Missoula (Montana) and Chicago. Heh.

Some Googling, some reading, and I discover that this book is a catalog of an exhibit -- this exhibit.

Such a generous gift, Toni -- thank you!

Cool

Letters by Google Blogoscoped. All photos from Stuttgart, Germany. Some rights reserved...

Phillip does the neatest things...

linguasso

Found at Big Window (click to embiggen):

linguasso - dynamic emotional design

This little program, entitled linguasso (for lingual and Picasso) creates totally random works of art, composed of text and based on varying emotions I have put into a small library. It chooses an emotion, then displays associated words and dynamically created sentences in random fonts, sizes and places. It's quite addictive to watch over and over again, as each design seems to tell its own story.

This was the first one I got. Conflict is RED.

Lila Faylor Sculpture

My 30 Day Photo Challenge Flickr Set

Poetry

what is poetry for?
this              silence

A reminder: Jane Hirshfield is engaged in a conversation about poems, poetry, and other matters at The Well. This conversation is open to the public, and you are invited.

I've been reading Ted Kooser's The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets. Yes, I've been doing this for nearly twenty years, and I'm still a beginner.

I do recommend it for beginning poets; he offers lots of technical reminders they will find useful. He also offers some observations and opinions that I think apply to almost any creative endeavor -- and since I like what he says, I'm going to share some of it with you:

Valentine

My friend Niki made this for me last year (the year before?) and it's been on my pinboard ever since. I wish the scan were better; this is so beautiful, color, texture -- that just doesn't show here. Those dots on the upper right sparkle. Click to see it larger.

This is a very special day for me -- this evening I'm going to go hear Linda Hogan read. Any of you who are in, or can get to Missoula for this -- don't miss it! I will never understand why every reader does not know her name.

May all of your days be as special as this.

Winter Solstice

two long nights
one short day

the buddha smiles

[This charming buddha, sitting in the light, was made by Bill Walker. If you are interested in his work, he can be reached at flutio21 AT yahoo DOT com]

Snapshot 23 March 02005

     50 people see sadness and happiness
        Originally uploaded by brevity.

This day passed as quickly
   as yesterday, no sunrise,
only a lightening of sky
   and later, a darkening.
Rain washing down on

snow, then snow on rain.
   A measure of solitude.
A measure of sadness.
   Four a.m. awake in that
border space. Ice fog

to the ground. What do I
   look for in this place? Some-
thing that hides in the day. Some
   color, some shape undimmed
by pragmatism. Some measure of joy.

24 March: Do not miss the comment on this post, which is far more lyrical and punchy than I can manage at present. I like it, it makes me want to get up and dance -- even though I believe it is a pointed observation on the prosaic nature of this inadequate poem, above.

Christo

      

First one must find a concept
large enough to contain the entire
city: Saffron, perhaps, or Gate.
The horse pulls its head into
its neck, making its body an
S below the gibbous moon.
Cover the river in grey silk. Let
the building reinvent itself
in soft satin curves. Owls
resent this impersonation
of their essence, feathers
cloaking coldness and no
blood. Let mice run beneath
the strutted floors, the gilded
ceilings arched like stars over
nothing. Nothing in this sky
is identified, so let it be
that.

Alcoves

Graham calls these Must get out more -- but what they tell me is to look around where I am; there is beauty and interest close to hand.  And since I have a difficult time getting out, this is good news. I can't take pictures like this, but I can look again, and take snapshots. Maybe a project for the new year -- a series of domestic snaps. 

Aren't these wonderful, though? -- Do click to go to his site and see the larger images.

SpOOky

These are for David, who loves Halloween, but is easily frightened.  The original photographs (of a rather unusual garden ornament) were taken by my friend Abigail; then I played with them to make them more appropriate to the season. 

   

   

Click on the image for a larger version -- help yourselves, folks! 

What's On My Wall

Where I Used to Live, Bill C. Ray

Click for larger image

Bacon, Cheese and Oatcakes, following Terreus' lead, asks what favourite work of art you have in the most prominent place in your home?

This is my favorite piece, and it's placed prominently, for me, at the foot of my bed.  It's the first thing I see in the morning, and the last thing at night.  The title is true:  this is a painting of magnificent, rainy, Southeast Alaska. I have another from this series, Spill, which hangs above the piano in the living room.

When I was a part of the working world, I indulged my yearning for art liberally, and my house is filled with it.  It nourishes me every day.

Shells

Robin asks what the image on my last post is, which gives me a chance to admit my ignorance, and to point you all, again, to Scott Draves [aka Spot] and his wonderful work.  All the shells and shell-like images I use are from his image index.  I keep his mouse on the sidebar, in the Tools section.

Bubbles in Cyberspace

From Life Is But A Dream

How To Be Creative

Very cool thread at gapingvoid.com, via boingboing.

Spot

More from the artist who created the images I now use on Watermark for icons (or accent dingbats, as Factoid calls them.)

These are courtesy of btang phlog, who says:

Scott Draves (aka spot) recently put out a dvd that has been blogged around but mainly using Ernst Haeckel's works . . .THIS IS NOT DOING JUSTICE TO SPOT'S OWN WORK which includes the famed Electric Sheep. check out the animation clips and more frames. . . you should buy his dvd!! NOW! :-)