big ones

For several days have been joining photos to make
big buddhas, for eventual use in large scale prints.
So far I want them in focus for that;
these, which aren't, I'll keep anyway.
Yes, I do have a 'stitch' mode on camera, but prefer
to fiddle with each one.

many good interviews at salon.com
I like Kimberly Gremillion's images

above

Our younger sister has been visiting each of us over last weeks.
2 years ago we went north to see her. Photos aren't great
through the windows, but I'm sure I'd never be able to hang
out over space, or however it's done.
Check out Richard Woldendorp's magnificent aerial eye
(what do you suppose that red stuff is?)

in between

In the market at San Cristobal de las Casas.
These alterations which I made in the early '90's,
were usually minimal & could be seen
by moving the photo.
Maybe it's not so easy on the screen?

via victoria thorne: M B Goffstein ~ what a discovery!

blown away

There's a large old poinciana at the front of my place,
don't you love them?

This one is from a walk a few weeks ago,
but is closer to how I feel today: there's a wind blowing
through my head.

Added Robert Polidori's Versailles to my long Amazon
wishlist, it's currently unavailable,
here's a good interview on bombsite

ghosts

This was a wonderful old structure, an ex-convent,
museum in San Cristobal de las Casas. I don't know
what kind of habit the nuns wore, this flashed into my mind.
To visit a building with walls so thick feels incredibly safe,
to live in it might have been claustrophobic?

a large site on costumes,
& the wonderfully well written the thoughtful dresser

off road buddha

Maybe you noticed I've added more labels. Didn't want a huge list,
so these altered photos come up under 'digital art', even though
many are, for instance, out the window of a speeding car in
a blizzard (here it's Colorado); it's just me enjoying myself.

As I was this afternoon, listening to Tuvan throat singers on
youtube. Kongar-ol Ondar, & again, & a longer one

If you are new to blogs: you can contact me via a comment,
see under each post/entry; it gets to me as an email,
I can then reply. It saves me getting heaps of spam, supposedly.

Further to the 7 or 8 posts starting Nov23, ~ more or less
about relationships ~ here's a great youtube video.
reality as you know it doesn't exist
so, if you are going through 'something'... relax !

in stone

Ages ago I went to Borobadur, this couple was one of the
myriad beautiful carvings, I think they have been
extensively restored since.
I'd ask some questions ( see last several posts )
but is anyone there? The counter says there's quite a few.
I'd like to hear from you .. just write a comment.
It's what passes for a conversation on blogs.

the marvellous Heather Nevay

yes

A relationship begins.. a dance, a chase, a leap, it's
often exciting, lots of projections too ~
really it's more about imagination than anything

& that yes to experience that we all love,
& would like to hang onto..

My favourite artist Andy Goldsworthy, an interview.

hiding

How, when hearts open, we come out of hiding..
& how much still lies hidden
in unconscious patterns. It's impossible to
change them till we see them, isn't it?

Sebastiaan Bremer at Hales gallery

cold

This (back to front) series is about a failing relationship,
if you didn't guess; not mine, just a general story,
though I've certainly been there, more than once ~
there's the hope that this will last, despite the
growing coolness, the changing states, the..mess..
Is there some astrological indication of late? Seems
I've heard of a lot of unhappy break-ups.

Matthieu Ricard

careful

Treading carefully.. that part of a story where
it could go anywhere, & willing an outcome doesn't work..

This was a strange place, something made me very nervous,
as if bad things had happened there.

Dorothea Tanning

impasse

Up against it..

oldest living things in the world

tears

Tears like a rainy day..

See Anne Siems & Fay Jones, at GroverThurston

endings

There can come a point where it looks like the end of the story..
It's lucky we don't often know the endings, or there would
be fewer beginnings. Also.. it happens by itself.

Inez Storer has a lovely way with stories.

changes

Painted in mid 70's, while living in India. I did several
Vipassana meditation retreats around then, with Goenka.

Have been thinking about the different ways to tell a story.
Always an image comes first, for me;
over next days I'll post a series of altered photos that I
think tell a story ~ but the end will come first so that later
it will read coherently from top down.. don't know yet if I'll
write any words.

Some terrrific shots on flickr

heads

These two were along the Mekong last year.
I so enjoy the sense of also being looked at by the trees.
Or sensed, anyway. Don't you?

Really like Balint Zsako's pictures,
at Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London

gum trees

There's a line of eucalypts in town that have shed their bark
now, they look so pale & tender it's a surprise to
feel how hard they are.

Wish there was a shop like John Derian in Byron Bay

subtle

Some days my eyes go straight to strong colours, on others
they move towards the subtle. Three are in Hanoi,
the lower right is a reflection that happens early
on some mornings in my kitchen.

Don't you love the cordial invitations fromkeetra ?

giraffes dream

This is a project that didn't happen, a kids book, the text was
about how giraffes dream like us & learn how to
change their dreams ~ so if they're scary,

you can make them fade away etc. (various strategies)
Maybe I'll get back to it one day, maybe not.

Rachelle Sumpter's paintings ~ click on first image.

the mekong

Going through my photos from the Mekong river, I remembered
how there were patches of jungle that looked as if
they covered long lost ruins. But also vast tracts of
clear felled forest. The local people, I think, see little in return.

There are often small groups panning for gold.
We saw a big variety of rock types, there is bound to be a lot
of exploitable minerals (unfortunately). Ditto re benefit to locals.
The river itself is a kind of gold. I heard there is a huge dam
upstream from Laos..

good stuff here: environmental art blog

overlays

Here's one that began as a painting on draughtsman's linen,
which I ended up scrunching, thought that looked better,
photographed it, & now have added a couple of images from
Cambodia. It's hard to know when to stop, sometimes.
Not just with images..

Here's a strange link: the smoking gun

mandalas

Some mandalas from my early days on the computer.
Got a bit carried away with the kind of detail that would take
altogether too long in a painting.

Enjoyed learning this way (& have now forgotten how !)

Have been watching some BBC dvd's, The private life of
Plants, so utterly amazing how it all works.
Here's David Attenborough on the lyre bird on youtube.
There are several australian birds that mimic other sounds.
I've noticed that the birds often go quiet when
a certain kind of music is being played,
& imagine their secret concerts, later.

talk

Having a holiday from words as such.
You are welcome to say something via comments though.

Liked the voice of Saengsuri Rungrot (Sept 30 post) here

bali boat

I've a seat made from part of an old Balinese boat,
these are shots of the paintwork, which I like a lot.

There's a show at the Kopeikin gallery which looks quite
disturbing, as might be the people who buy these
photos.. good photos by Susan Anderson, but how
horrible to tart-up young girls in this way.. isn't it?
Really enjoy the work of Kahn & Selesnick

how much

How much is too much? Looking through my photos from
Siem Reap, it's not always clear: top right has been
obliterated by the lichens, but elsewhere they have
enhanced the carvings ~ & anyway the erosion
can give a sense of impermanence
that may have been lacking, 500 years ago.
There's some inserts of newer blocks, also adding to
the feel of moving in & out of time.

mimics

Isn't it interesting how different things look some days?
I'd thought the trees at these sites were aggressively trying
to pull them apart, but today they remind me of a rare
octopus which mimics all the lifeforms around it:
some seem to flow over, or envelop, or to become stone

so that they can be quite hard to see.

You may find one of Roger Steene's books
of underwater photography here. I have Coral Seas, it's great.

calmer

Had a whole day doing something I'm unused to,
it was a bit of a strain. So here's some calm buddhas.
I made it big for limited edition giclee prints..
(as usual: email me for details)

agence eureka always good for some random clicks

because

Because a friend sent me a link about an Indian movie that
looks just wonderful, I found some of my old photos,
these are in Kashmir, Leh & Varanasi; the movie is set in
south India, & it's a lovely website too: Vanaja
With luck they'll have it at the video store.

ruins

The remains at Angkor Wat are really impressive, &
it's quite a feat to get photos without people. The stone is
mostly pale as in left, but hard to see low res, so I
added some contrast.

I think a lot of the carving represents scenes from the
Mahabarata ~ the struggle between the forces of
light & darkness (that looks like Ravanna right), with
great surging battles across whole walls

& with fascinating detail of hairstyle, costume etc.
But the big struggle for the city has been nature, as well as
the depredations of various regimes, dealers/looters
&, most recently, extreme numbers of tourists.
I wonder what, if anything, will remain of our cultures?

These maps make me feel guilty for travelling..
John McDermott's photos really capture the feel of the area.

too many

Brought back a few of the sponges from the beach left,
& made a small insect/creature. Today I was looking at a
book of early photographs, mid 1800's. Many were of vast ruins
in Athens, Egypt etc, huge statues wrecked a 1000+ years
ago.. pause for thought. But what struck me was
how small the towns were, how much lovely space around
the sites. How we have over run the planet like some
plague of biblical proportions..

More or less my thoughts while making this image ~
such gorgeous birds, yet once there are too many it's quite
disturbing, isn't it?

an antidote of sorts: kate kirkwood's photographs