drawings-1

Something different for a while ~ some old drawings.
three from Sri Lanka, that's Ananda left,
& another I did in a Bangkok temple c '72.
It interests me how the forms changed as Buddhism
moved east from India, even though there were
apparently artists, stone carvers etc from very diverse
cultures, who had, for instance, moved from
the Mediterranean area to escape persecution.

always plenty of inspiration: anindiansummer
Andrew Moore's wonderful photographs

silk

In February we visited this silk factory, it was a bit like the
places 2 years before, in Vietnam, with very eager sales
people. Love the colours.

&, only tangentially related, a favourite author, William Gibson

mosaics

Had these half-ready from another project (also from
Wat Arun). Am experimenting with morphing, & it's
led to other ideas. Just the mosaic designs on their own
are really lovely of course.

bohemianhellhole & a dedicated beachcomber

before & after

Also part of another project..

When I went to Ladahk in the early '70's, there were a few
homestays & 1 star hotels after a white knuckle 2 day bus
through every kind of marvellous mountain terrain.

Now you can slip in for a few days of luxury, it seems.
I wouldn't say no!

lookouts

Two kinds of lookouts. Sparrows are everywhere I guess?
At the moment I've a pair of willy wagtails in the garden.
They watch each others backs constantly.
Isn't it strange, what shadows (or demons) we guard against?
A friend showed me photographs from Mustang, there's an old
monastery linked with Padmasmabhava, it has a long wall
painted in ochre & red stripes, said to be the entrails of the
demon that the sage defeated. High altitude ideas..

best wishes

I'd like to send a very large bunch of flower offerings
to Thailand.
No clear idea of what's really happening, was going to add
a link but then.. if our thoughts can influence how the
world is, then probably it's better to smile, wouldn't you say?

short videos of animals on guardian.co.uk

tiled

Up close, the tiles are lovely, but there's nothing like the

full size effect of a large building covered in them..

these are on one building within the compound of Wat Arun,

the temple of Dawn, in Bangkok. I've been playing with them

on a morphing program. Also sending best wishes..

Have an interesting book from the British Museum, on the

migration of pattern & ornament along the old silk roads.

These designs may have come from elsewhere (like the broken

pieces of trade plates, elsewhere) but they seem,

to me, quintessentially Thai in their confident use.

painted-2

More of the wall paintings, some are influenced by Indian

'photos of the Gods', others have a 'new age' edge..

In one old wat, a series obviously by the one person, I really

liked their particular style: a 'real' artist, while they could

also be counted 'naive' works . In many places,

the lighting is minimal, photography is difficult.

thepersephonepost &, trying to recall the name of a particular

French naive artist I found thenaiveartinsider

painted-1

There are often two kinds of painted surfaces in Thai wats,

I enjoy both the traditional designs such as the door below,

& the (usually) more naive renditions of familiar stories,

recognisable for instance by the female figure

surprised by lions, & tigers.

the fascinating bldgblog & kiki smith

elephants

Elephants figure right across Thai culture. I love the

differing expressions, these are in Chiang Mai & Lampang wats

Some of the remaining live ones work in the tourist scene,

surely better than hauling timber etc, even so it can't

be much fun to trundle tourists around the

same patch every day.

studiomhl & debievanzyl

spirits

If you've been in Thailand you will recall

the ubiquitous spirit houses

I photographed scores of them, & also like the cast-off ones.

Thought of shipping one home, but it coincided with a

burst of have-too-much-of-everything thoughts.

another trend that's been around for ages,

in one form or another~ including in my drawing books:

jessicajoslin & kateclark & whokilledbambi

horses

Didn't see many actual horses in Thailand, except in

Lampang centre right, but they are around, in spirit houses,

temple decoration, paintings, toys ~ as are most animals.

Ron Pippin, a most amazing artist, only just came across him.

glass

As you'll have noticed if you've been here before,

I love the surprises on glass & other reflective

surfaces. If you click on the image, you can see the apsara

face that appeared over mine on the photo right.

prettiest cakes ever amber spiegel

qinghai province, iceland, thailand, poland.. the big picture

finding

Isn't it amazing how we find things? Some people know where

everything is in the mess, others have elaborate systems.

As for memory.. I like a bit of both, for

those unexpected cross-overs.

Can I remind you to have a look at shantipress for our book,

& please let others know, if you like it? Thanks!

An old exhibition at the exploratorium on memory

Keep going back to Ted for all the interesting talks:

a new way of looking at digital images

day trips

There are other good places around Chiang Mai: we went to

Pai, on a very winding road, it was smokey, dusty, dry,

bound to be much more attractive at end of the wet season.

& it livened up in the evening. Also to Lamphun, liked its

laid back charm & the large coloured resin buddhas.

joann kuchera on ted talks

wildlife

The varied wildlife inside a Thai wat..

meet the elephants & les tribus de l'omo

pilobolus on Ted talks

puppets

The puppets were for sale in the market, while
the puppeteers were once at the Sunday walking
market in Chiang Mai. I think they were from Myanmar,
& even without understanding a word, it was
spellbinding; I could see other onlookers become
engrossed. Somewhere there was an evening
performance, that would add to the dramatic effect.

some beautiful images in these blogs & sites:
dustjacketattic & trouvais & frenchblue
& some animated collage ~wow

skulls

Noticed a few skulls in Chiang Mai, usually from some
kind of deer; we came across the buffalo on that very windy
road to Pai. Older stone statues often lose their heads & limbs.
That all is impermanent is central in Buddhist philosophy.
Why are so many ~around the world~ using skulls or
skeletons in their images? Could it be more about copying,
than a kind of collective tuning in? Or is there really
a widely felt sense of the end of .. things?

coulditbemadness-this
ajourneyroundmyskull - endless great graphics
Pawan Sinha on Ted

monks

You'll quite often see a monk blessing a wrist bracelet
for devotees to wear. What I don't recall noticing before:
the extremely lifelike monks seated in
meditation ~ usually behind glass..

I wish the situation in Thailand will peacefully resolve, soon.

the morgan library & museum
eva eun-sil han's meaningful collages

up close

At the same wat as yesterday's post, a small photo of a monk
set into the wall. That's him right, blown up. I like the effect
of the trees reflected in the glass, probably because
it has the same feel as the series I may soon start on..
took over 200 photos of a certain subject, am waiting to see if
they coalesce into new images.

onpaperwings on flickr ~ vernacular typography
interesting series from eugeniorecuenco

by chance

While sorting all these shots, it's clear that it took me a few
days to acclimatise: by the 2nd time at this wat,
I noticed more, wasn't at the dentist every day, &
felt easier about everything, really. If I'd stayed another
month maybe there would be some really good photos!

Do you know the story of Atget ? He would take his camera
every day, over many years, to different parts of Paris ~
such a magnificent historical legacy.

quiet

Even in the middle of the market there are quiet points,
often it's around women preparing food, at other times
it's sort of unpromising material, together with
a lucky moment. & also, perhaps, when it's quiet, inside..

quietly exquisite: jo pond
& geraldinegonzalez

terracotta

These terracotta artifacts are sold, after some time in a
secluded garden, growing moss & gracefully age-ing. It's
vaguely reminiscent of Angkor Wat, but you can no
longer, thank god, carry away stuff from there. It shouldn't
be too hard to find in Chiang Mai, in the south west
corner of the old city.

Would be more interested in fashion if the images had
this feel & lots to desire on style-files eg beach houses!
(it's fun to go somewhere quite different, no?)

bygone era

These posts are still from Thailand photos, ( less on this trip
but it's still 6,500 photos, so why not?) I am back in Byron Bay,
& other things are happening; also putting some together
for other pictures ~ this is what you may get for a while,
however. I enjoyed the old photos in various wats; was told that
the monk lower left, was instrumental in getting a road built to
Wat Doi Suthep. In some wats they are starting to use large
scale giclee prints, so there's this juxtaposition.

Leopold & Rudolf Blaschka made glass sea creatures,
the wide ranging interests of Nicole Dextras , & the mix of
quotes & images that evoke stories, on royalquietdeluxe

same/different

Am still going through 1000's of photos from my recent trip
to Thailand. There are similar elements in all the temples,
except they are all different, or at other times it looks so ~
the cleverly designed metal grilles cast a shadow,
for instance. There are corners holding things less often used,
always flowers & animals of one kind or another.
Am not interested in visiting churches, but am happy
to enjoy the aliveness of Thai temples.

don't you enjoy the sculpture of Alma Allen ?
A captivating idea: drawings by trees, Tim Knowles &
Catherine Morland, an exhibition at Rokeby

a work in progress

Most temples still in use are a work in progress ~ I always
loved the colonnades of gold buddhas in glass cases at
Wat Po, for the fantastic reflections. But in the past year,
there were new rooves, & ceilings, the glass had gone,
& the statues are being seated on jewelled platforms, while
artisans are still adding gold leaf on the eaves, & furniture
is stacked till there's space somewhere else.
I had both cameras, alternating when one got too hot.

Because of the process of metal casting
all the buddhas have small differences, apart from mudras etc,
there are some I feel particularly drawn to (maybe 50 or more!),
& if by another sculptor, the faces are as unique as the
understanding that informed them. (Tibetan thangka painters
have told me they must become the deity being painted)

Bo tree

Often there is a Bodhi tree in the grounds of Thai temples.
usually they are wrapped with light scarves or lengths
of coloured nets, as veneration for the symbol & it's age.
Some people leave painted sticks, which I was told have
something to do with the donor's wishes for a long life.
The leaves are their own fresh heart-shaped statement.

Long ago, in Bodh Gaya , I saw Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
seated beneath the Bo tree. I gazed for a long time;
& still really love his Dzogchen teachings.
Well worth a look: the sanskriti foundation

what we see

Interesting what we see, what we censor, don't you think?
I was interested in the statues, didn't notice the sign;
& because I had some dental work done while in Thailand,
I found the 2nd hand teeth bizarrely fascinating - how
would they work? At Wat Arun, the pieces of broken plates
make wonderful designs - what do you notice first?

Some great graphics etc, not sure if it's one or more people,
at okadada , remember seeing their marvellous flash clock?
It's somewhere in hybridgraphic

dragons

At every temple I think, these guardians, with differing
personalities & materials

..can't tell you what is the local understanding of the
symbol, my guess is its much the same as elsewhere, plus
another layer of myth & stories. Am sure you can find out
if you need to.

A short movie nature by numbers
& lots of animal pictures on animalarium
& dragon lake from nasa

certain times

At certain times everything conspires to get you to a certain
place just at the right time (in fact it happens all the time,
if you pause to notice!). This day it was sunset in Lamphun,
with a spectacular sky, the light just right to reflect on glass,
& then I stepped outside top right, & into the sky/pagoda.

Have to put my all times favourite voice to that afternoon.
If you don't already know his voice, do yourself a favour!