Monday, January 28, 2019

Stumpy Saguaro


Ajman Brahm speaks the trees in the forest, the most interesting and beautiful being so because of their imperfections. With that in mind, I present you with "Stumpy", a saguaro who was somehow beheaded at eight feet, and who compensated for this disaster by sprouting a multitude of arms. 

Another lovely Sunday afternoon sketching at Jewel of the Creek.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

By The Creek


Sunday morning by the creek
after a night's rain.
This sandy bank
warmed by the sun
is lush with grass
and the music of running water.
is a good place to be
 in January.

Sketching as therapy for vision - very uncomfortable and peculiarly disorienting when focusing on a scene with such a hodgepodge of objects. Palming was an effective way to rest the eyes. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Wild Bee Hive


                 Ugly sketch with a cute story.

                 Just off the trail,
                 stood an old cottonwood,
                 blasted and twisted, 
                 the main trunk ripped off
                   leaving a dark opening
                   out of which bees
                   emerged and disappeared
                   purposefully.

                   Taking a seat
                   on a rock close by
                   pencil to paper
                   sketching
                   preoccupied workers flew past
                   pausing to appraise 
                   the observer.
                                  
                   On the rough stone seat
                   the artist in timeless content
                   until posterior ache interrupted, 
                   bringing sketching to an end.
                   Bidding adieu to the gracious bees
                 continued along the trail.

                   Next morning
                   hiking among low clouds
                   on the same trail
                   to visit the bees
                   sheltered from the winter wet
                   in their snug hive.

                   Found among the stone seats
                   a present from the bees - 
                   a comfortable camp chair 
                   neatly folded up 
                   in a handy carrying case.
                   Thank you generous Bees!
                 So observant!

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Sketching as Visual Therapy


Sit still
in a quiet place
looking far into the distance.
What do you see?
Put pencil to paper, 
make a mark. 
Long line for a mountain, 
hairpin for a tall saguaro, 
any squiggle or scroll to suggest
cottonwood trees and
multitudinous
desert shrubs.
Forget about rendering.
Accuracy is not important.
It is the experience of seeing,
far, near, far, near,
realizing with the eyes
context of form
contrast of light.
And then to make the marks,
to transpose visual stimulation 
into corresponding motion, 
whether it be moving a pencil,
or packing up
and walking off
into the landscape.

Will this work? My heart assures me that this is the right direction.

Macular Hole


Abruptly,
a macular pucker.
Macular hole.
Retinal surgery.

Hard lessons
about the role of vision
 in everything.

I never took art seriously,
never saw a reason for it,
until now.

Now,
I understand
that through art,
vision
and my world,
can be recreated.


Surgery to the right eye performed
 on November 9th 2018
 at the Scottsdale Eye Surgery Center.
This above painting was created several years earlier
by the artist.