lotus

Found these at the farmer's market today

Aren't lotus the most magnificent flowers you can think of?
In case you've never seen one: fill your head with the image,
that's how big they are.

Have a one track mind on the web, lately ~ guest houses
in asia ~ but here's a site with interesting pictures

mandalas

These fell out of an old sketchbook while I was looking
for a book. At one stage I did a few month-long intensives
at Esalen with Stan Grof, we would make mandalas
after each session. I did many sessions.

This Holotropic Breathwork was such a great thing to do,
& looking on youtube just now, found Stan Grof,
& remembered what a wonderful man he is.

yoga

Every week in the local paper there are at least 2 pages
of ads for yoga classes, retreats etc.

Also, different teachers visit Byron regularly.
John de Ruiter is here now, I went to his meeting yesterday.

Byron Bay is a good place to live, though it seems it
is being loved to death, so many tourists.

A couple more books, to the (long) list I'd like to get,
(from designboom, as they show several pages. Terrific site.)

mountain view

The house we rented was raj vintage,
so in an advanced state of disrepair, but with an absolutely
mind blowing view in all directions. It was an hours walk up
from the Dalhousie bazaar. Long ago.

Links ~ in my mind ~ to Ani Choying Drolma,
& sarangi, santoor, & the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,
as well as Brian Eno, Pink Floyd et al.

summer beach

Yesterday the beach was my idea of perfect, calm except
for little waves at the edge, the clearest water,
great sweeping brushstrokes
across the sky..

Plus I heard that my books did get on the boat from China,
expected to arrive next week.

One of my favourite designers at a show in NY.
I'd like one of his winged lights.

mountains

Another painting from my time in Dalhousie in India.

Not sure about this.. though I feel that elephants may have
a large capacity for enjoyment. I want to check out the
elephant dung paper in Chiang Mai.

reflecting

Left are grass reflections; at right, a nearby tree,
I think they wave to each other.
At a lake near Ballina, about 30km south of Byron Bay.
Quiet day today, also.

cowboys

For several years I lived near one of the old hill stations
in Himachel Pradesh, India. People would chop the limbs of most
trees, for firewood. This one(more or less) was near my house.

I really wonder what those finance-sector cowboys are doing !
(& how come 'cowboy' has taken on such a derogatory meaning?)
I grew up in the Australian outback, where it was stockmen,
or jackeroos; the cowboy was the guy who worked around
the homestead, butchered the sheep, milked the cow,
kept a garden in winter. All of them were real people.

They didn't push numbers around as if they were real.

Take your mind off it with these gorgeous creatures

wallaby

A friend said she saw a wallaby in the garden ~ they live
out of the town ~ picking large hibiscus flowers
& chomping away.
Did you know there's a tree climbing kangaroo ?
Australia has fabulous birds too ( such as the Lyre Bird)

capricorn

A detail from long ago, before I had to get glasses,
before computers.. the detail amazes me now.

I think it was for Capricorn on a calendar, it's not a 'good' painting
but wouldn't it be fine to still have 20/20 vision.

Talking of old collections, here's a few: one, two, three.

buddhas

When I first was in India, I met three thangka painting
Tibetan monks, & thought I wanted to learn
how to paint that way: old thangkas in particular
emanate a tangible presence.
However, their method of measuring by rice grains
was too much for me, & I'm really slow with languages.
Basically I was just in too much of a hurry.

Related youtube pieces: one, two & three
& a Tibetan artist who lives in this area.
& the beautiful Windhorse gallery is in the next small town

hanging on

When Tibet was invaded, those who could fled to India;
if they had paper money it became worthless.
Some hung on to it anyway, though their dreams of returning
have so far been unrealised.

It's interesting, don't you agree, to watch
the alternating movements: hang on/let go.
Plenty of opportunities, even without any world-shaking events.

Great Tibetan art in many collections.

wondering

It's not altogether related, but was ready to use..

Woke up thinking about how it would be if/when
the whole system breaks down ~ money/
infrastructure/power-grid/et al.
Nothing we now take for granted would work or
be available. Like the science fiction books I used to read.
How to make some reasonable preparations
without future tripping?

Here is the overview that started this train of thought.

gift

a gift arrived today..
xxx

like birds

The sky on Sunday (market in Byron) was magnificent,
I was reminded of the flight patterns of spangled drongoes,
or when you see a single feather floating along between trees.

Arrived here on one of the web-hops ~ interesting artwork.

travelling back then

Back then, we hitched on trucks, were invited to stay
by incredibly hospitable local people, masses of children
enjoying our every move, especially in the north
where I drew this carving ~ Bali c.1970
Now, there's probably an internet cafe or a resort at the
road junction where we played chess half that hot night,
with most of the village blocking the doors & windows.
It's still exciting to go somewhere new, but most places
have been done over, wouldn't you agree?

There are so very many of us.
( horrify yourself with the stats)

smiling

Was at Isaac's meeting all Saturday, I always like to
go, when he is here in Byron Bay.
With the focus of attention on the experience of the body,
in this moment,
all the senses of the system are seen to oscillate..
I like this quote, don't remember where it's from, though it's
probably buddhist: All objects of the six senses lure
consciousness into the net of name & form.

Don't you enjoy watching this?

book of kells

From one of my old drawing books. I've a facsimile copy of the
Book of Kells. In it they say the book was 'lost' for centuries,
& the people who found it thought it had been painted by angels.
I love to recall those monks, joyfully painting their lives through.
(later: checked a link, my memory exaggerated the time)

& now ? Now is different. Book designers: one, two, three..

black cockatoos

Early this morning, 3 black cockatoos flew over,
some people say that's a sign of big rains coming.
I wasn't fast enough, so here's a home-grown bird,
which is also the eye of a sky profile.

There's a mental link between here & there..