and behold, all is vanity
“I’m a real bird! Tweet! Tweet!” A pithy pet epithet? Spoken in true budgie form, it may well have been Teutul’s 2002 squawk of the year. Testicular cancer has since taken the bird (and his epic mustache) from us. In lieu of real songs sung by real (feathered) fowl we now have real flying animals trading real TWTR stock on the NYSE:…
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Inceptionist
Google’s neural network spends a lot of time looking at fuzzy creatures (dogs, mostly). And now it can’t help seeing them everywhere it looks. I relate to this. The way I see the world is also profoundly shaped by my experience. There’s a lot to think about here beyond rose coloured glasses (or Dog-shaped spectacles).…
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In, Out, Up, Down
Neither the carriers of a Christ-yoke, nor the navigators of heavier spiritual paths, ever quite escape the ego on this side of (the) Jordan. Nietzsche might see the ego as an opportunity (and I sympathize with the will to power), but for the rest of us power is suspect, and the ego remains a human problem. To disconnect from…
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Cedar-Apple Rust
With the month of May having expired, I picked up my Gyres artworks from The Jordan Art Gallery this week. Though conversations with George Langbroek tend to fruitfully peel away the hours, I got away in time to stop by at Balls Falls Conservation Area. Distracted by sights and sounds near the trailhead, I did…
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Happy Birthday (Mister / Darling)
When airplanes (in literature and song) fall from the sky, there is liable to be some manner of “Happy Birthday” whether your name is Conor Oberst or Salman Rushdie, whether you perish or are reborn. Even if another name or fate possesses you, there may yet be candles and cake. To demonstrate, I have interwoven…
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Dregs and Legacy
Dregs. Leftover (cocoa) bubbles in a cup. Satisfied traces in a swig-wake. Just accidental patterns? Or is there art(fulness) in what you leave behind? Our legacy of consumption isn’t merely a hot button issue. Every slag story is also about nourishment. There’s more here than a byproduct: it’s also the proof of savoured pudding. Historically, our social, political, and cultural leaders each drank deeply from the nourishing fountains of…
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The Hidden Holy
On the heels of Scrapin’ the Wasteland, Stephen (my gracious host) introduced me and my work to more people in his Waterloo neighbourhood. One of those people is David Knight, a pastor at Lincoln Road Chapel. In addition to having written a fabulous book about water in the Bible, David recently hosted the seminar Our…
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Gyres in Jordan
Jordan Ontario is nestled in the heart of Niagara’s wine growing region – and thus is home to plenty of spiralling grapevines. This May, I’ll be exhibiting some my own favourite spirals, drawn from the last several years’ work. These will be familiar pieces for some of you. For others I hope it will constitute…
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