Antler Anchor

antlers seem to make good anchors if all you need to do is "snag" something. the next best thing would be an extension cord.

jellyfish gridlock

My favorite stop at the SF Aquarium; the jellyfish tank.
busy little guys (or Gals)

jellyfish mix

Once "nested" there are certain environmental safechecks to weather. note: this is where it is helpful to have several close companions nearby.

owl renested

I'm liking the direction the owl is taking here, the nesting concept seems to resonate with being comfortable in your own shoes.

owl foul

If you want "fair", then go to Pomona.

sometimes Life isn't.

but there is always "the next indicated action"

I'm in SF to paint an exterior and it has been raining,

so today I am going to see the Aquarium.

makes perfect sense.

above the din

A view from far atop the swirling clouds
maddening din well below the treeline
tranquil, yet not without the energetic hummm
like the motor is running nearby
far too spirited to tune out
I guess I'll jump back in
there is work to do.

time fly

yup, it sure does.  it goes away too fast when i want it to last, like spending time w/good friends and family; and way too slow, like when waiting for the sun to shine. i am working on enjoying this particular moment in time; and then the next, and the next and.... 

ANTLERS & A SAFETY PIN

Antlers and a safety pin; high atop the Met in NYNY on a clear day one could almost see the pile of antlers in Keystone, South Dakota, in the Black Hills, off the Badlands. The "Badlands"; what an unfortunate name is that? Apparently it was NOT a "goodland" to the many original owners of the antlers.  The Safety Pin points a direct line to Keystone, and I'm certain many of those looking out Westward are perplexed as to where the antler wagon goes next: I know I was.
There is just something secure about the term "safety-pin." Hurry, let's all gather together under the "safety" pin, ah, yes, now I am relieved AND I feel so safe. It is good to have this so handy. Maybe more can be erected around the country, so we can all have the comfort of safety..... perhaps they should be placed around the entire globe. Maybe the elks would still have their antlers if they only could gather in safety..........

nested

ah yes, nested in for the final weeks of winter

looking forward to the Spring season....

not that the Winter has been evil or trying,

I am ready for change. the transition into productivity.

accept the tao, flow with the go....

painting teepees

A little while back I was painting on all fours
for a feature called "HIDALGO'
We then went to South Dakota near the original site
of the Wounded Knee Massacre
Being there during filming was a deeply memorable experience.
All day, nonstop, the Sundance Ceremony continued.
Many of the extras were there to perform a "healing" while the
cameras rolled and stopped.
Early that morning as I was doing final prep, a large eagle soared
through the center of camp cawing his approval.
I revisit that moment often.

Skull vase design

W

I was looking at my favorite vase and visualized one with some of my favorite images.

OWLOTUS FLOATER

I found this little drawing in a journal from last year, nice surprise.

Today I am driving to San Francisco to paint my daughter and son-in-law's house. We are going to set up a silkscreen space in the studio, that will be cool.   Well, only 800 miles to go. I'm looking forward to some time in the Bay Area. Maybe some creative painting too.

OWLOTUS

I reworked this one a bit after it developed some scratches, I am happy with the "reversion". It is acrylics painted on hardboard with a metallic basecoat. The water is also metallic. I really like the owl-in-a-lotus image. Intelligence and Serenity(?), ominous peace(?), give me peace or I'll peck your eye out(?). Maybe one of those, or not.

hourglass

TIME ......... curious natural element. never enough or slow as molasses, flying by or suspended indefinitely. Accept it as it is, dread each moment, hurry it up, slow it down; RELATIVITY.
I believe time speeds up as we progress in age. Months are like weeks used to be, seasons are like months, years are like seasons-TIME is flying, I feel a sense of accomplishment if I can complete one thing in a day...... or a week. The Earth must feel that way about eons. "Oh, gosh, how the eons just fly by, where are those pesky little dinosaurs, anyway?" or... "remember how quiet it used to be when there were only amoebas swimming around?" ..................... I can relate.....

LOVE SKULL

I REALLY LOVE THIS DAY. THIS IS MY FAVORITE SKULL DRAWING I'M GIVING IT TO MY TWIN FLAME, PARTNER IN CRIME.......

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

That's not always a bad thing. "Head in the clouds" is a contemplative state, an opportunity to let the mind 'air-out' as it were. It gives me the option of a new perspective, like a far-away mirror. Clouds so easily connect with other clouds, for me it is like connections are made that I have not conceived of, prior. Clouds are a great place to find the necessary relativity.

SKULL RIDES

A little influence from morbidanatomy.blogspot mixed with my own obsession w/owls and the like. So many cool images and creative sites out there, its hard to limit the blogsearch time. Drawing has been real fun lately.

SOARING

The External is limited; gravity, winds, abundant heat, draught are all measures to contend with.


The Internal is limitless; soaring, calmness, comfort, liquid are measures to embrace fully.


I love that moment in deeper contemplation when gravity and physicality disappear for even a nano-second.


I am soaring ..................................... I connect with the Calm, I keep an image within. I try to keep that image within reach to use as needed.                             [painted in 2008]

My Lens Snaps Cactii

I found this collection of cactii at the Huntington Gardens in Acadia, CA. Very tasty samplings throughout the gardens. The entire property is a fantasy gardenland, early morning visits are best to insure intimacy with the plants.

journal drawings

S. DAKOTA MINI-GOLF

Funny that this mini-golf "park" is closed on weekends. It must do a ripping business during the weekdays. This is one of the many sidetrips our HIDALGO paint crew took on our Sundays off. Hardly on the beaten path, even though the path does look quite beaten. This place is only a few miles from the historical "Wounded Knee" site. I find it strangely symbolic of the emptiness that remains amid the Lakota Nation.

"Honor before Shame" leaves many holes in the country.

CLOUD 9

Favorite cloud? I saw it as I pondered the ocean.
Let's see, It's shaped like a ...........                   
a cloud?                                                       
an energy mass expanding condensing rising lowering
reflecting assimilating floating becoming moving high
points low points middle points holes wholes ............
like a thought; 
if I could draw one on paper.

FULL LOTUS DIVE

My drawings don't usually tell me where they're going.               

                                                 I find myself there               

                                                     when I'm done.              

            Sometimes, much later I figure it out: or not.               

                                               This one is a "not".               

                                                     But that's okay.              

                              I find it still a "comforting" draw.              

                                        Crown chakra at the tail?               

                    Blue bird imitates an open lotus flower?               

              Oh well, today I'm on an important project;                

                               I'm painting jellyfish in space.                

                                                                                         

DAN'S COFFIN [built by Sandy Sanders]

        It's kinda cool having my own coffin                                 

on my table                        in plain sight                                 

It's like, "really, I'm not going anywhere."                                 

"We are spirits in an immaterial world' ...                              

I've got my fauna, my watering can and my Golden Antler Crown

                                                                                             

[After]life is good .....                                                            

ENTER•ONLY

ENTER ONLY ....... like there is another action to do simultaneously as I "enter".

ENTER ONLY, one action at a time, after all, I'm only three people [one at best] 

As I cautiously enter my life today, I will not dwell on yesterday [nor tomorrow]

ENTER ONLY,  there are goals to be met, lists to check off, actions to be taken.  

ENTER ONLY,   deep into the pits of consciousness, adjacent to the soul of souls.

ENTER ONLY is the mantra of my daily destiny, ENTER ONLY ... enter only ...... 

cracked ...

yup, cracked.                                        
that's how best to get to the real matter.
once seamless and unified                     
now, flawed with pieces everywhere     
no band-aid needed anymore                
let it stand as it is.                               
this is my Truth:                                   
exposed                                               
vulnerable                                            
settled                                                  
at peace                                               
Sunlight shines on my soul.                    
                                                           
this is good.                                          

Eastward facing
Winter sunrise, tasty sky.
the best way to start my day
is a slice of this sky
and a cup o'caffe.
I'm seeing clues to
finding an inconveniently lost soul.
Well, maybe not "lost"
altogether. Just not in 
the usual cabinet with
the socks.
Today is Devon's birth day.
The world shook me that day,
............ still does.
Happy BD daughter-I Love You.

too views

two ways of seeing
the same cliffside
enhancing the "futuristic" view
etched over eons
future-past

Fresh start

Bones art

peal away everything else

it leaves the soul.

Holy mud here in Chimayo

I got some

put it where my soul should be

I believe it is working.

I am finding clarity.

it is like the sunlight

through a dusty window.

i like it.