2009's Garden Growth

CLAY SKULL-PENNY EYE

Fired Clay/ Painted with Copper Glaze/ Copper penny for eyes.

DONALD A. NORMAN- "The Design of Everyday Things"

This book changed my life. It made me notice that the designs of our world, were invented and some with haste and lack of care. This book covers all spectrums of design effective and ineffective. Look at your environment and begin to notice the "Design of everyday things"

MARCH 9

BLACK HOLE TIME LAPSE

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice- Mark J. Plotkin, PH.D

Reading a new book I thought this was interesting.

Tales of a Shamans Apprentice-Mark J. Plotkin. First Chapter

"I had followed the old shaman through the jungle for three days he called me the pananakiri "The Alien" since I did not speak his language after that day he told me through the translator he was finished teaching me.
That night, I had a terrifying dream. An enormous Jaguar strode into my hut and stared deeply into my eyes, as if trying to divine my thoughts. Powerful muscles tensed in its back as it arched its body to spring. So vivid was the apparition that I awoke in a scream. I sat upright in my hammock there were no footprints on the dirt floor nothing to indicate the presence of an unwanted visitor.
The next morning just after sunrise the young Indian who served as our translator came to my hut " Shall we go into the forest to look for more plants?"
"Before we do" I said " Find the old shaman and tell him that last night I saw a Jaguar" I gave the details and the Indian left.

He returned a few minutes later. " Did you tell him?" I asked "Yes" he said "What did he say?"

He broke into a big smile and said ,'That was me!"

Today I went to return some books and I wanted to take some more out. Most of time I head to the library without any real idea of what I wanted. I prefer browsing this way which makes each of my choices more seem pure. I feel if I head to the library to take out a book on "POP ART" for example or "Bears", I limit my choices. I usually never use the catalogue system either. This method has worked effectively.

I am growing a garden this year and I currently have plants growing indoors I have about 30 plants many different medicinal herbs and assortment of vegetables. I have been researching the powers of the plant world for many years but only in a very loosely based manor, more recently I am partaking in their growth and learning their history. I was very upset to be so disconnected to my food source. Growing a garden has been very inexpensive and uplifting.This has been a very soothing process its nice to wake seeing leaves of green. This helped me through the inevitable winter blues. I hope to continue learning more about the wonderful natural world and tie that information into my future artwork. This book is just cementing my interest in the creation of "Land Art" I plan on keeping my ear to the ground.

BRUSHING TEETH

CAN YOU NAME THIS PERSON?

SKIPPING STONES

As of most recently I collected 200 pounds of perfectly smooth round river rocks. I did not have a purpose for them yet. I began placing them next to bodies of water. This is so when someone like myself goes up to the shore and they want to skip a stone they look down and see the perfect tool for the job. They think that they have found it on their own. They skip it and most likely it will be the best skip they have ever had in their life. I will not be there for the event so the only proof I have of the action is its absence from the location where I placed it. Skipping stones is a very ancient practice. It is also a way to physically connect man with the elements. The rock was molded by fire once lava from the core of the earth, then fractured by ice, Then it fell into the river and was molded by water, then it spent time at the bottom of the river bed, I came along and picked it up and carried it home, then placed on the shore of some body of water, then picked up by a passer by, finally cutting through the wind as it skips across the pond and sinks to the bottom. This process makes this series a form of performance art as well. They will never know me or the lengths the stone went through to be in their hands. They are just receiving a pure quiet moment skipping a stone.

SHI SHI ODOSHI KINETIC ART

Today I went for a walk, during this walk I came across a forest of Bamboo. There were stalks of Bamboo over 15 feet high. I made my way into thick of it. I had never seen living growing Bamboo that was not on television or the dollar store. I was completely surrounded and transported to another place. Bamboo is so alien to this area and must have been planted here many years ago and untamed. I harvested some stalks each about 8 feet in length. I have been reading about Japanese Gardens. The gardens that are maintained by the Japanese are unmatched, in their simplicity and beauty. The Japanese have many methods of pest control. The term for this is the "SHI SHI ODOSHI" or "Deer Scarer".

Sōzu is a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens. Usually made of bamboo, it consists of a hollow pivoting arm attached to upright supports and a hard surface or object that the arm may come in contact with. Water pours from a tube or pipe into the arm. When the arm gets full, the weight of the water causes it to tip over and empty, making a sharp sound when it hits the hard surface below it. This noise is intended to startle any deer which may be grazing on the plants in the garden. The empty arm is then free to swing back up into position and refill. The rhythmic clacking sound punctuating the silence reminds visitors to the garden of the passage of time. Although simple in design, it is highly effective, and safer than most modern deer repellers. Some people collect them as antiques.

After harvesting these lengths of Bamboo I wanted to create my own SOZU. The idea I arrived at was to attach a Bamboo Brush on one side with ink below. After pouring the water the weight becomes more and gravity comes into action. This raises the side leaving a brushstroke where the brush had been. A large scale model is in production.

LOGGING on the INTERNET

I filmed Desktop as I entered the Internet and Left the Internet.