Category Archives: Visual art

Shape itself is no thing

Posted on June 14, 2020 | Leave a comment

 

Patterns repeat–what about nonpatterns?

My metaphors are all elephants. From Exquisite Corpse selections. 15 March 2015.

Shape itself is no thing. 12 March 2016.

[From Journal 188]

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Posted in From the journals, Visual art

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How much change she had to adjust to, live with

Posted on May 11, 2020 | Leave a comment

5:56 a.m. smart-phone time. Dateline: [my address], kitchen (well, dining room) table. One (Readers) can assume all of my journals written since July 2011 were written at this address, at this table, unless otherwise stated. I should pro[cat in lap]bably include this more often. What to draw today—let’s put it in lower left corner so it can run onto blank facing page. Back at 6:03 after visual-arting. It’s done with my chalks—it seems a bit ominous—but then, I never know what things will look like when I just start with a rough idea (the squares close together) and go from there. So, yeah, napped noon, well, about 1 (M & I were cuddling in bed and I was thinking about getting up at 1 but I pushed alarm back) ’til 2 and then went to [county historical museum] (after getting gas first) and there was a couple researching family there and the woman part of couple said some matriarch had lost her husband and also a son in months’ time—and how horrible—well, OK, but I was thinking of that scenario less as horrible (or whatever word she had used) and more just lonely—how much change she had to adjust to, live with. I told my cemetery (“Burying Grounds of Hickory Grove”) story to [historical society member], who said it’d be good for a Halloween newsletter or something.

From journal of Mon. 30 Sept. 2019.

[From journal of Mon. 30 Sept. 2019, Journal 309, page 87]

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Image 10, Journal 157

Posted on May 7, 2020 | Leave a comment

Image from Journal 157, dated 26 March 2012

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‘Arting’ as relaxation practice

Posted on May 6, 2020 | Leave a comment

Drawing dated 24 March 2012 from Journal 156, page 18.

Drawing, coloring—”arting”—more a relaxation technique/practice than a “making” technique—and that’s OK! [From pocket page dated 26 March 2012]

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Posted in From the pocket pages, Image and idea, Visual art

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Comics: The Fox and the Books

Posted on February 12, 2019 | Leave a comment

I thought I’d posted this comic when I wrote it a few years back, but I can’t seem to find it on here. Anyway, “Eat, Pray, Smurf” still makes me laugh. See this earlier comic.

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Posted in Comic silliness, Visual art

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Types of Poetry collage

Posted on September 16, 2017 | Leave a comment

I got a pamphlet in the mail about something called the Palm Beach Poetry Festival. An idea came to mind: Cut out one of the “Poetry” words and paste it into the middle of the paper, and then cut out other nouns and think of these as different types of poetry: sand poetry, Tim poetry, guest poetry, Q & A poetry, glance poetry. I don’t know what these types of poetry would be — whether written for an occasion (November 10, 2017 poetry) or for a situation (one-on-one poetry) or written at a place (lake poetry) or written about a place (road poetry) or written about a topic (nut poetry) or to be recited while using the thing (Amex poetry) — but I loved thinking of these things for the first time today.

Full page.

Top half.

Bottom half.

A close-up.

Another close-up.

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Posted in Poems, Visual art, Writing

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News from the bridge today

Posted on September 25, 2016 | Leave a comment
The Rock River surface as crumpled aluminum foil. 25 Sept. 2016

The Rock River surface as crumpled aluminum foil. 25 Sept. 2016

Homecoming was a week ago. View of south end of bridge, 25 Sept.

Ribbons remain lashed to the rails, though Homecoming was a week ago. View of south end of bridge, 25 Sept.

Under the south end of bridge over Rock River at Byron, 25 Sept. 2016

The hobos’ gallery: Under the south end of bridge over Rock River at Byron, 25 Sept. 2016

The cheeriest under-bridge art ever, possibly.

The cheeriest under-bridge art ever, possibly.

Signed Gerald I'm sincere

“signed gerald I’m sincere”

Stay positive.

“Stay positive.”

Oak leaf bunch, south of bridge, 25 Sept.

Oak leaf bunch, south of bridge, 25 Sept.

My dog and "YOLO!" under bridge.

My dog and “YOLO!”
under bridge.

Oak leaf, south of bridge. 25 Sept.

Oak leaf, south of bridge. 25 Sept.

 

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Posted in Nonfiction, Photos, Visual art

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s ‘Eternal Indian’ Statue

Posted on September 9, 2015 | 1 comment
Wrapped statue, photo taken 30 June 2015.

Wrapped statue above the Rock River, photo taken 30 June 2015.

Zoomed-in image of 30 June 2015.

Zoomed-in image of 30 June 2015.

Art fans in my county can look at another example of artistic wrapping (see earlier example here) by driving on Route 2 north of Oregon, Ill., to see Lorado Taft’s “The Eternal Indian” statue, commonly referred to as the “Blackhawk Statue.” What looks intriguingly like a green monolith on a green hillside is actually the statue under protective wraps while it undergoes restoration work to repair cracking concrete. The picture below doesn’t give a sense of the statue’s scale, but it does focus on some of the disintegration:

Photo of the 48-foot tall statue from below, taken Sept. 2011 and showing some of the damaged concrete.

Photo of the 48-foot tall statue from below, taken Sept. 2011.

 

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Posted in Ogle County Poet Laureate, Photos, Visual art

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Water Tower

Posted on September 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

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Well, this isn’t really the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude (or if it is, they’re keeping pretty quiet about it), but there is a fabric-covered cylinder where my town’s water tower used to be. There was some hissing noise coming from the direction of the tower once the curtain went up — the tower was taking a shower, perhaps?

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Also, the fabric itself does present some aesthetic enjoyment as it rippled in the wind and as it was partially highlighted by the sun.

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My suspicion is that this fabric was put up merely for practical reasons, but I like to find art wherever I can find it. (See other Ogle County unintentional art here.)

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Posted in Comic silliness, Ogle County Poet Laureate, Photos, Transcribed from life, Visual art

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Family portraits by six-year-old me

Posted on August 16, 2014 | 3 comments

I recently found these drawings, marked August 1980, in the baby book my mom made for me.

My dad

My dad

It speaks either to my skill, or to my resemblance to my father, or both, but when my wife saw this drawing, she thought at first that it was depicting me.

My mom

My mom

I couldn’t now tell you why mom’s one eye is bigger and double-circled, and why her nose is so equilateral.

My grandmother Phoebe

My grandmother Phoebe

Her hair has been this short for most of the time I’ve known my grandmother, but, honestly, her hair has never had a lot of body.

My mom's aunt (my great-aunt) Betty

My mom’s aunt (my great-aunt) Betty

OK, I really am not sure what’s going on with the chin-shading. I don’t recall my great-aunt having a beard, so I’m hoping this was just a shadow? Or maybe an oddly high turtleneck?

My great-grandmother Alice

My great-grandmother Alice

For a six-year-old, I did a decent job of representing the shapes of these faces in a way that somehow does remind me of these actual people.

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Posted in Nonfiction, Photos, Transcribed from life, Visual art

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