New Year's Day

Much respect to Otoliths editor Mark Young for continuing to demonstrate how to publish a great journal, and how much can be achieved on a free platform like Blogger. Thanks, Mark, for including my little piece 'New Year's Day' in the new issue- and for making it better, as well.

Our Failings Are Our Strengths

Looking at more compositional possibilities: Rotating the image a couple degrees clockwise to lessen the empty space at bottom left, and roughing in a new waterline.

I'd planned on refining the stand of trees, adding detail, shadows, etc. But this may be one of those times when the first take is as nearly as good as it's gonna get, or needs to. Doesn't happen often. As I've mentioned many times, I nearly always think I can make this or that element just that little bit better. And usually I can.  But sometimes I do the drawing much more harm than good. The trick, as always, is knowing when to leave well enough alone. Why's that so hard. But hey. Our failings are our strengths.

If I worked digitally I'd just add another layer, experiment in that, and so on.  At worst, no harm done.  Good thing I don't. Endless possibilities, no risk of pushing the paper too far- I'd probably never finish anything. 

Small Mysteries

Back at this one after several days away.  I try to work at least some whenever I can, but I also try to recognize those times when I lack the necessary energy and clarity to make good decisions.  When I'll likely only waste time, and I may fuck up a perfectly good drawing. 

The waterline I tried seemed forced, a pat response, unsatisfying resolution to the shapes above. Happily charcoal and graphite are forgiving. I like the way the stone forms emerge from this stand of trees.  How the trees soften, obscure, make me want to see further into those openings.

For me, these kinds of places are small mysteries.  I'm not looking for explanations, resolution: Mysteries resolved are no longer mysteries, and what fun is that.  I want the work to offer- to me, and to viewers- opportunity to wonder, imagine. As a friend said, "to find our own stories." So when I want to see more and can't, that's a good thing.

Increments of Regret

"In this dream one typically struggles to review the distance between intent and achievement."  Read my poem Increments of Regret at litbomb.

Giclee Prints: The Moon Dreams Of A Summer Night

Here's one of my favorite drawings from 2003, 'The Moon Dreams Of A Summer Night.' The foreground elements- bushes, path, and tree- are stippled with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, and softened and warmed a little with graphite pencil.  The sky, mist and moon are stippled with graphite pencils. Giclee prints of 'The Moon Dreams Of A Summer Night' are available at Bluecanvas.

Giclee Prints: Lost Harbor Light

I'm continuing to update my Bluecanvas store, making more images available as Giclee prints.  This ink and graphite drawing from several years ago is called 'Lost Harbor Light'.  The island, bridge, tree, and darkest areas of the lighthouse were stippled with Sakura Pigma Micron pens; the light's tower and lightchamber were stippled with Marvy LePlume pens and graphite pencils; the sea and sky are graphite pencil. Giclee prints of 'Lost Harbor Light' are under $17.

The Umbrella of the Future

Sarah finds the clicker, turns on the TV, sips her tea, waits.  Cold mornings lately, the little Sony seems sluggish, slow to wake.  Sarah hopes it’s not dying, hopes this is just a winter thing.  Imagines a small black animal, old, squarish, sedentary.  Dreaming colorful TV dreams, waking reluctantly, shivering a little.  Regaining its capacity for speech first: “Next- Is this the umbrella of the future?” someone at the Weather Channel says.  By the time the screen has brightened, picture wholly coalesced, they’ve gone to a commercial.  

(First published in Ink Sweat and Tears, 2007.)

Deliverance

My tiny story 'Deliverance' is included in the April issue of Fat City Review.