A Blackbird, A Trap and a Language.

Tri-color Blackbird- Michigan Bar Area

Having just started this Blog a few days ago, I am playing catch-up with all the stuff I have been doing and thinking this last minute-lifetime. So I will pick things out now and again that may have happened a while ago, but still are busy inspiring me, and how I see things now.

Long ago I started saying, "There are two components to Art. One is developing the craft or techniques to say what you want to say the best way possible. The second is having something to say that is based on your own experiences and reflections on those experiences." Making art and trial and error studio time throughout life help to develop technique, or the visual language. Getting out there, or in there deeply help to develop the focus or "message" of the work. Answering the Call To Adventure as Joseph Campbell said.

I have done quite a bit of looking inward, and outward through the years. Travel, really leaving myself open to "feel" and "witness" as well as analytical meditation. I try to take some of that home to my studio, and hash out how to transmit my experiences through art. For my art to change, I must change. How do you bring the viewer closer? Close enough to poke her in the eye with your message? Doing this takes a bit of hunting and trapping. I don't want to kill anyone, but killing ideas, ignorance and habits, sometimes, art is capable of this. I have experienced this myself, looking at Art and Nature has killed me and made me new numerous times.
How do you pick out your symbols? Your story? Your protagonists? If you even use them?

* "The Milliners Assistant"-KS2016

* "Sweet Prince" KS2015

As you can see, I have captured an image of a Tri-Colored Blackbird. A Regional and uncommon bird from the larger Central Valley of CA. It looks much like the Red Wing Blackbird, a common site along country roads, in California.  You may have seen a tri color and not known it. These birds are declining rapidly going from 2-3 million from data from the 20's to a semi-current 145,000 birds. Habitat loss is much of the problem.

* "Welcome Party"KS2016

Door, Scotland

Rabari Earrings- India

This is a study of a pair of earrings I bought in the town of Bhuj, in the Rann of Kutch. Victoria Z.  Rivers and I were visiting a nomadic Rabari village as well as other wonderful places and these are the kinds of earrings they wore... but in sets of 4-6 or more per ear. They were exquisite women, fierce and strong.... with black or red tattoos and looking VERY good! One young woman had a scorpion tattooed between her eyes, to distract the evil eye from her beauty! Their homes were were made of whitewashed dung/mud, inlaid with mirror and sugar cookie frosting details. Immaculate display rooms for the highly decorated bags and goods involved in setting up and breaking down house and traveling on to the next grazing area. They are my favorite earrings, and I wear them 90% of the time. They show up in some form or another in many of my paintings, and I consider them the symbol of my personal vanity.


Sometimes I use images directly, other times just interpret parts of them for my needs. I collect (photograph) images of Symbols, Characters and Backgrounds. I mix them with imaginary, distorted and formulated images as well as painting objects from life. Whatever it takes to get the image I want.... keep in mind, I don' know exactly what the finished piece will look like when I start. I have a "feeling" a  word, or a  topic, then I start from there. I add and subtract as I go, the work suggests to me where to go next. I almost always paint the entire background field in its entirety, then paint the other parts on top. You can often see the texture of the background paint through the over painted objects.

Painted Iron Hinge, England

unfinished "Fancy Work" KS2016

*Many of the original paintings shown in my Blog are for sale. Please inquire at feedyoureye at hotmail dot com