Jay Dragon, my child who continues to inspire me in so many ways, has been passionate about a sort of gamification that fascinates me. Most recently, they were posting 200 word mini games for an upcoming event. Inspired by these short narratives, I decided to write a few of my own based on ideas …
life
Threads
This post first appeared in JP Loves Cotton, 12 Dec 2013 I'm not sure if she was insane, or simply eccentric. My friends who own the antique store didn't seem alarmed at the lady holding up the camisole for inspection. Her accent was heavy - perhaps eastern European. And maybe the item of …
Best Friends
I can´t tell you very much about Arthur. His older sister Amber was my older sister´s best friend, and his older brother Jonathan was my own older brother´s best friend. Our families seemed to possess an inherent symmetry of friendship, thus it was only natural that I felt Arthur was my own best …
The End of God
Originally published on the Patheos blog, 18 Dec 2015 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 There are words that we use for things we know so well, as in, “look at that goat over there, it’s chewing on my favorite book!” …
Hero’s Journey and Relationships
Rilke once wrote, “For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.” And while the poet loved his solitude and “terrible angels,” he took on the work of love with …
The lowly like
Don’t disparage the “like,” “favorite,” or other social media element that let’s me acknowledge you. Yes, as a means of communication, it is a dust mote in the shadow of a hug; but it still works – it still let’s you know that yes, I’m here, I see you. And isn’t that, at the end of the day, …
Ink on Mulberry
I'd almost forgotten how it came to be that I've been making these large collages of ink on mulberry paper. Edom Hernandez had gifted me a fairly large stack of the paper before he died. The ream sat in my studio unused for many years, occupying its own drawer in the flat files. Edom had …
Big Doubt, Little Doubt
This post originally appeared at Successful-Blog, December 25, 2012 Beginnings are typically joyous, euphoric occasions. Whether it's a software project, a barn-raising, a romance, or a painting, the earliest stages are exciting, not yet informed by the difficulties that lie ahead. The …
Artists’ Games
Originally published on Successful-Blog.com on July 9, 2012 The Games Artists Play In his earlier days, the artist Chuck Close was a painter of gestural abstractions. After a personal crisis, he decided to take photographs, and square inch by square inch, make a large painting of the …
Admire! Admire! Admire!
A version of this post first appeared in Successful-Blog.com, June 2012 At first, when people are studying to become visual artists they work very hard at getting their hands to respond accurately to what they see. Over time there is a shift as the artist chooses to emphasize, edit, and curate – …