Dreams In Black And White

Inn of the Seven Graces

2012-01-27T13:39:00.001-05:00

Inn of the Seven Graces
Miniature Graphite Drawing on Bristol; 2 7/8" x 4 5 /8"

Due to the small size and extremely fine detail of this drawing, I'm limiting reproductions to artcards only, no prints. The 4" x 6" card size best represents the original. At $3.00, they're a very affordable alternative to original art, and they're also easy to mat and frame inexpensively. RedBubble offers discounts for purchases of multiple cards, and you can mix and match from any of my images. Here's the link.

The original drawing will be featured in the annual Little Gems exhibit (February 3- March 9) at West End Gallery, Corning NY. Pre-sales are welcome; if you're interested, email or call the gallery.

Lost

2012-01-17T12:27:00.003-05:00

Hope you'll stop by Our Day's Encounter and read my little poem 'Lost'. My thanks to editor Lennie Cox.

Radio Free Atlantis

2011-12-15T16:28:00.001-05:00

Radio Free Atlantis
Charcoal & Graphite drawing; 5" x 7"
Cards and prints available at RedBubble. The original drawing is also available; if you're interested, email or message me.

Randy Rhoads

2011-12-07T15:04:00.001-05:00

Randy would have been 55 yesterday. Awhile after he was killed I stuck a note up over my desk: RANDY RHOADS WAS 24. DO IT NOW. I was wrong about his age (he was 25), and it hadn’t occurred to me that the note would frighten people. I tried to explain: I wasn’t suicidal. Been there, done that. I put the note up to remind myself to stop wasting time, to work harder at the things I wanted to learn and accomplish. I don’t remember when I took it down.

Opening Act

2011-12-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

'She finds her first certainty
at a garage sale. One latch is broken.
When she opens the case
crushed velvet echoes too many
cigarettes, cologne she almost
remembers. Maybe hers.'

Hope you'll stop by and read the rest of my poem Opening Act at Orion headless. My thanks to editor Sara Fitzpatrick Comito.

Remembering Liz

2011-11-15T20:50:00.004-05:00

Remembering our dear friend Liz Gerard at West End Talk. Thanks to LuAnne Gardner for providing Liz's photos of her work, and to my partner Parnilla for this one.

We miss you, Liz.

How To Profit As Copper Becomes The New Gold

2011-11-03T11:40:00.001-04:00

My story How To Profit As Copper Becomes The New Gold is up at Left Hand Waving. My thanks to editors Dale, Howie, and John.

Point of Grace

2011-10-31T12:31:00.003-04:00

My drawing & text piece(s) 'Point of Grace' at A-Minor. My thanks to editor Nicolette Wong.

Raw

2011-10-18T17:17:00.004-04:00

A raw scan of a drawing in progress. Scans always help me see a piece more clearly. They're like looking at work in a mirror, or from a week removed. I see a gazillion tiny things I want to make better. Whether I need to, or can, that's another story.

That'll Be Two Bits

2011-10-09T21:29:00.003-04:00

My poem 'That'll Be Two Bits' is included in Right Hand Pointing #45.

Mystery

2011-10-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

In a corner of a neighbor's land too stony to till Cob makes a mystery. The small pines are budding, and today he brings an armload of stakes, pocketfuls of baling twine, soft rags to keep the bound seedlings from wind-chafing. For a moment, Cob sees clearly a far-off summer day, a child smiling, wondering. With his good stone he sharpens his shears to a fine bright edge, begins pruning.

A Woman Walks Into A Bar

2011-10-02T14:05:00.003-04:00

My story A Woman Walks Into A Bar is up at The Camel Saloon. My thanks to editor and barkeep Russell Streur.

Ramshackle Review Concludes Publication

2011-09-28T22:23:00.007-04:00

When I closed Ramshackle Review to submissions in June I hoped other obligations might allow reopening this fall. Unfortunately, that’s not feasible, and won’t be anytime soon. Difficult decision, one I've put off, but it’s time to shut RR down.

One of my goals was to give RR at least four issues. I’d hoped to publish many more. But I’m also happy with and proud of Issues 1-4. They’ll remain available for online viewing. Many thanks to all who’ve supported and contributed. It’s been an an honor to share your work.

Maybe Next Year

2011-09-27T12:36:00.005-04:00

Tjaden Hall, Cornell.

Angie and Twitch

2011-09-26T12:52:00.003-04:00

The girl singer Angie was hot. She was maybe twenty-five and ignored the crew or tried to. More on this later. The guy singer was older. It wasn’t like we were knowledgeable fans of the Sammy Kaye Orchestra but you figured he’d been with them awhile. Maybe when Sammy was still alive. The guy singer wasn’t badlooking but he had a bad eyetic. It scrunched up the whole left side of his face in a big exaggerated wink. It fucked with his phrasing. I didn’t know his name. We called him Twitch.

markreep.net

2011-09-22T21:45:00.005-04:00

My new website is up. Most images are available as greeting cards and prints at my RedBubble store. Prices start at $3.

New and recent originals are also available. If you'd like to inquire about an original drawing, please use the Original drawing available links to get in touch with me, or the gallery exhibiting that drawing.

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you'll share.

Postcards from Cornell: Fuertes Observatory

2011-09-19T11:34:00.005-04:00

Cornell's Fuertes Observatory, a few minutes before sunset. Postcards and greeting cards are available at my RedBubble store.

Old Spy

2011-09-17T23:24:00.004-04:00

Applepicking. Sorry, deer. Spies make good pies.

Book Review: Kio Stark's 'Follow Me Down'

2011-09-15T14:35:00.004-04:00

My review of Kio Stark's first novel, Follow Me Down, is included in the new issue of Word Riot. Readers of Kio's blog Municipal Archive will recognize many of the supporting cast, and like MA, Follow Me Down is great reading. As always, my thanks to Word Riot publisher Jackie Corley.

Alder Run Lane

2011-09-09T22:15:00.007-04:00

On the way home from La Petit Chou's today I stopped to photograph this lane. A big monarch butterfly hung with me awhile, and I hoped it might have found its way into a shot, but when I looked through the files tonight, it was gone.

Last Load

2011-09-04T11:23:00.005-04:00

Thunder rumbled to the south, but no rain fell, and I kept cutting. At sunset, I stopped to take this photo. She's an old horse, but she's still running.

Windows of Heaven

2011-08-17T09:29:00.006-04:00

Windows of Heaven
Pen & Ink, Pencil; 2001

Postcards & greeting cards available at RedBubble.

A Good Stopping Place

2011-08-16T11:54:00.002-04:00

In the little wood between Cornell Plantations' Herb Garden and the new Welcome Center. Greeting cards and affordable prints available at my RedBubble store.

Cut, Split, Stacked

2011-08-14T13:20:00.004-04:00

No time for laying stone lately. But there's this. Much more momentary, but I've learned to value momentary. Life helps with that. Andy Goldsworthy's work does too, and opens up your head to a gazillion possibilities. Art is anything you make of it. Greeting cards of this image are available at my RedBubble store.

And A Woodcutter's Son

2011-08-05T22:33:00.006-04:00

We make the path ~~walking~~ carrying firewood.

Parnilla.com

2011-07-09T12:01:00.005-04:00

Parni's new site is live. Greeting cards and prints available at Redbubble; for information on available originals, contact West End Gallery, Corning. Thanks for stopping by!

Prints at RedBubble

2011-06-18T15:51:00.004-04:00

Happy that several of my drawings are now available as affordable prints, greeting cards, and posters at my RedBubble store. Click on an image to view and browse. I'm sorting through archived files, selecting work to be made available; if you're interested in a print of a drawing you don't see, email me. Thanks for stopping by, and hope you'll share.

Ramshackle Review 4/June

2011-06-04T17:54:00.010-04:00

The Moor
Cover photo by Karen de la Bald

RR4/June 2011 is live, here. In this issue:

Fiction by Jen Knox, Nicolette Wong, Jack Swenson, xTx, Danny Goodman, and Robert Wexelblatt.

Poetry by Meredith Weiers, Bill Yarrow, Tammy Ho Lai-Ming, Lucinda Beeman, Al Ortolani, Tony Brewer, Byron Matthews, Jennifer Wineke, Jessica Bell, Laura Grafham, David Tomaloff, Rachel Mangini, Barry Spacks, Brad P. Olson, John Tustin, Ally Malinenko, Sara Basrai, Jennifer Blair, Amanda Laughtland, Darryl Price, Andrea Spofford, Susan Keiser, Emily Severance, Heather Abner, Tina Barry, Howie Good, Randi Beck, and Heath Corlew.

Black and white photography by Karen de la Bald, Laurent Miaille, Stefan Randholm, Annie Atkins, Kirsten Thormann, Helene Fjell, Quervel Sébastien, Beatrice Belguiral, Marco Masciovecchio, Ana Moreno, Shlomi Kramer, Alessio Di Menna, Penny Hardie, and Netra Nei.

Also in this issue: Memoir by Maureen Eppstein, and Sheldon Lee Compton reviews Rusty Barnes’ book Redneck Poems.

As always, thanks very much to all who have contributed. It’s an honor to share your work in RR.

Operating Costs

2011-04-23T17:09:00.006-04:00

My flash Operating Costs is included in Criminal Class Review 4.1. More on the issue here.

Berthier Door

2011-04-22T14:20:00.004-04:00

photo: les specialistes

My flash Berthier Door is up at Used Furniture Review. My thanks to editor David Cotrone.

More on Julien Berthier on BLDGBLOG.

After Bukowski

2011-04-20T14:11:00.005-04:00

My flash After Bukowski is up at Metazen. My thanks to Frank Hinton & Len Kuntz.

House By The Sea

2011-04-15T11:34:00.001-04:00

Happy to have my story House By The Sea in the new issue of Word Riot. As always, my thanks to fiction editor Kevin O'Cuinn and publisher Jackie Corley.

Hope

2011-04-13T12:48:00.002-04:00

Hope
Ink, Graphite, 5" x 6 7/8"
$150.

It's been awhile since I've done one of these. Happy I still can. We all need hope.

Hope is available unmatted and unframed (it'll fit comfortably in an 8 x 10 or larger) for $150, shipping to continental US included. This offer is not available through any gallery. If you're interested, email me.

Moon Milk Review 2011 Anthology

2011-04-10T23:46:00.003-04:00

Happy to have my drawing Ceremony included in Moon Milk Review's 2011 Anthology. It's available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble; more information here. My thanks to MMR editor Rae Bryant.

I Am Not Here

2011-03-15T11:39:00.003-04:00

Happy to have my poem 'I Am Not Here' included in Blue Fifth Review's Poetry Special. Thanks, Sam and Michelle.

All Morning's Mercies

2011-03-12T12:20:00.003-05:00

All Morning's Mercies
Charcoal and Graphite drawing, 4" x 11"

If I Could Find The Way Again

2011-03-07T12:40:00.003-05:00

A Markie drawing and poem, If I Could Find The Way Again, are up at Amaranthine Muses. Thanks, Carmen.

Ramshackle Review 3

2011-03-02T11:53:00.001-05:00

Ramshackle Review 3/March 2011 is live at: http://ramshacklereview.blogspot.com.

RR3 is a strong poetry issue, with work by Norbert Krapf, Sam Rasnake, Heather Abner, Caitlin Roper, Bill Yarrow, Darryl Price, Nicole Koroch, Michelle Elvy, Lori A. May, M.P. Powers, Shannon Peil, Rene Foran, Betsy Sharp, Amy Schreibman Walter, Steve Subrizi, Regina Green, Jim Davis, Sara Fitzpatrick Comito, Robert Klein Engler, J.P. Reese, Amorak Huey, Robert McDonald, A.J. Huffman, Susan Tepper, and John Tustin.

Featured are four new poems by and an interview with Howie Good. Thanks, Howie!

RR3 also includes:

Fiction by Darryl Price, Barry Basden, Claire Massey, Justis Mills, Sheldon Lee Compton, Stephen Hastings-King.

Nonfiction by Jane Hammons, Marcus Speh, Matthew Zanoni Müller, Nicole Monaghan, Allison McCabe.

Art: photography by Jennifer Hodgson, Peter Tieryas Liu and Angela Xu; digital painting by Ian McQue; oil painting by Evgeni Gordiets; and etching by James Skvarch.

Thanks very much to all. It's an honor to share your work in RR.

Read, enjoy, share!

Jardine Gallery

2011-02-26T11:31:00.006-05:00

I'm very pleased that my drawings are now available at Jardine Gallery, Perth, Scotland. The gallery features fifty accomplished artists working in a variety of media, and I'm honored to be included. Thanks, Julian!

While you're there, check out Julian Jardine's amazing ceramic sculptures. This one's a favorite.

Point of Grace

2011-02-25T11:18:00.004-05:00

Point of Grace
Charcoal and Graphite drawing on Bristol
11" x 8 1/2"

Not All The Old Doors

2011-02-21T12:09:00.004-05:00

Not All The Old Doors
Charcoal and Graphite Drawing on Bristol
8 1/2" x 11"

Bad Attitude

2011-02-04T17:36:00.002-05:00

My story Bad Attitude is up at The Camel Saloon. My thanks to Saloon editor Russell Streur.

Blue Pinto

2011-02-03T10:35:00.002-05:00

My story Blue Pinto appears in Issue 1 of Fictionaut Selects. Big thanks to Jurgen Fauth, Marcelle Heath, and especially Jane Hammons.

Small Awakenings

2011-02-01T11:05:00.003-05:00

My poem Small Awakenings is included in Shot Glass Journal #3. My thanks to editor Mary-Jane Grandinetti.

So Few Dreams

2011-01-29T17:11:00.002-05:00

A new poem, So Few Dreams, is up at Orion headless. My thanks to editor Sara Fitzpatrick Comito.

rr2

2010-12-08T21:40:00.004-05:00

Ramshackle Review 2 is live at: http://ramshacklereview.blogspot.com.

Included in this issue: Poetry by Bill Yarrow, Lisa Zaran, Howie Good, Matthew Stranach, Robert Malbin, and Justin Hyde.

Photography by Nicolas Vigier and Thomas Wheeler.

Fiction by Melanie Yarbrough, Dallas Woodburn, Parker Tettleton, Len Kuntz, Meg Pokrass, Isabell Serafin, James Robison, Tim Etchells, and M. John Harrison.

Nonfiction by Mark Etchells, Shannon Cavanaugh, Denise Emanuel Clemen, and Tim Etchells.

Art by Sergey Skachov, Alexandra Manukyan, Sarolta Ban.

RR2 features selections from Christian Bell's Thinly Sliced Raw Fish, Kio Stark's Municipal Archive, and nine stories by Stephen Hastings-King.

Big thanks to all who've contributed. Special thanks to M. John Harrison, Barbara Campbell, Tim Etchells, Meg Pokrass, Christian Bell, Kio Stark, and Stephen Hastings-King.

Enjoy, share!

Liz

2010-11-18T13:12:00.003-05:00

She was one of the best people I've known. A dear friend, kind, thoughtful, generous, encouraging, supportive- I can't begin to say what her friendship meant, how blessed I've been to know her. She did so many of us so much good. I hope she knew.

Liz & Parni, 2008

Zine-Scene.com Interview

2010-10-27T09:55:00.003-04:00

Zine-Scene.com highlights Ramshackle Review and interviews me in the debut of their new feature Start-Up Corner. My thanks to editor Richard Mocarski.

rr = metal, etc

2010-10-16T12:05:00.003-04:00

Checking in with Ramshackle Review: Fictionaut's Nicolle Elizabeth is clearly onto something. Ramsabbath? Blackshackle? Dude we're so metal.

Also, Ramshackle has a new Fictionaut group. If you're an fnauter, consider joining the fray.

More Fictionaut: My flash Check Engine, first published in Word Riot.

Pamela Wilson

2010-10-05T12:29:00.003-04:00

Pamela Wilson, Antechamber of Regret
Oil on Canvas, 42" x 21"

Read Feathered Hopes and Intriguing Dreams: Paintings By Pamela Wilson in Ramshackle Review 1.

Ramshackle Review 1

2010-09-21T10:02:00.003-04:00

Ramshackle Review's first issue is up. Thanks to all our contributors for allowing us to share your work, and for making this a great collection. Special thanks to Sheldon Lee Compton for Intruder, and the introduction to Pancake and his work; to Pamela Wilson, for the new artwork and her generosity at a busy time; and to Phil McCray, whose memoir Ulysses In Ithaca closes the issue.

Submissions for Issue 2 are now open.

Updates

2010-09-03T12:21:00.004-04:00

Ramshackle Review's first issue is taking shape. Included: Jessica Hollander, Stephanie Austin, Howie Good, Sam Rasnake, Pamela Wilson, Susan Tepper, Felino A. Soriano, Bill Yarrow, Robert Malbin, Karen Keating, Ernest Williamson III, Julie Innis, R. S. Bohn, Phil McCray, James Gurney, Michelle Reale, William Doreski, L. Ward Abel, Sheldon Lee Compton, and others. Friend Ramshackle on Facebook, and stay tuned.

Building: A new website for Finger Lakes printmaker and metalworker Paul Dudley Bishop. If you like the look and need something similar, art & photography friendly etc, email your requirements for a quote.

Cutting: Firewood. Catching up on: AMC's Rubicon. Re-reading: John Crowley's Endless Things.

Paul Madonna

2010-08-15T14:53:00.003-04:00

Amazed and marveling at Paul Madonna's All Over Coffee. Read Charley Parker's Lines and Colors post.

Ramshackle Review

2010-08-06T18:42:00.003-04:00

For those who may not already know, I'm editing a new online lit & arts zine called Ramshackle Review. Our Submissions page is up, and we're listed on Duotrope. More on what we're looking for here.

Email subs & queries to: ramshacklereview (at) gmail (dot) com.

Better Days

2010-08-03T13:22:00.004-04:00

'Better Days', another from the series of flash that began with 'String Money', is up at Ink Sweat & Tears. Links to segments published to date are in the preceding posts and in the Recently Published links at right. My thanks to IS&T editor Charles Christian.

No Adjectives

2010-07-23T14:04:00.004-04:00

'No Adjectives', another from the series of flash that began with 'String Money', is up at Black-Listed Magazine. My thanks to editor Mike Meraz.

Freakuccino

2010-07-21T10:47:00.003-04:00

'Freakuccino', another segment from my current series of flash, is up at Camel Saloon. My thanks to editor Russell Streur, who offers preferential treatment to contributors who include a photograph of a favored locale. Here’s mine.

Kilz

2010-07-20T11:24:00.004-04:00

'Kilz' is up at amphibi.us. Stay tuned for more from the series, and my thanks to amphibi.us editor Shannon Peil.

String Money

2010-07-19T12:45:00.003-04:00

'String Money', the first of a series of flash, is up at A-Minor Magazine. Each segment will appear in a different zine; more links as they're published. My thanks to A-Minor Editor Sheldon Lee Compton.

Django

2010-07-18T10:47:00.003-04:00

A great time last night catching up with our friends Phil McCray & Jean Callahan at Loudeac Tile Studio in Newfield- And when we got home, we found this tucked in the backseat of the car. So cool. Thanks, Phil!

Check Engine

2010-07-16T22:01:00.003-04:00

My flash 'Check Engine', a followup to last December's 'Blue Pinto', is up at Word Riot. Thanks again to editor Jackie Corley and fiction editor Kevin O'Quinn.

Good To Go

2010-07-08T11:46:00.006-04:00

Collegetown, 9.5.2009

I took this snapshot last September from a table at Collegetown Bagels. Where, not coincidentally, they have the world's finest oatmeal rasin cookies. Dispute this if you like, but bring proof.

Enfield Glen

2010-07-06T12:42:00.005-04:00

Enfield Glen, 6.5.2010.

Doctor Eyepatch

2010-06-30T10:38:00.006-04:00

With apologies to Tim Etchells, whose Dictionary is otherwise most comprehensive, and should be on every dreamer's nightstand:

"Waking, Sarah consults the Dream Dictionary, but no entry explains the doctor’s eyepatch. That contraption he’d invited her to pedal though, somebody oughta market one of those. The closer you got the harder it got, and her feet kept slipping off the pedals. It was maddening."

Read the rest of my flash 'Doctor Eyepatch' at Postcard Stories.

Taughannock Falls

2010-06-24T19:41:00.002-04:00

Taughannock Falls, 5.16.2010.

Norm Never Says

2010-06-12T19:46:00.003-04:00

Norm never says what he sees out the window. We like to think he respects confidences.

He was supposed to be a garden gnome. Give pause to the squirrels, keep an eye on the impatiums. We found him at Wegman's. He looked hopeful and observant.

We put him in the cart with the lunchmeat and yogurt but he slid around and I took him out and carried him. His hat was poky. He didn't seem frightened. I turned him around so he could see things. When the cashier saw us coming she laughed.

She was a tall thin talkative girl. Mornings she milked cows for two hours before she came into work at Wegman's. The gnome liked her too.

What's your name? she said.

He looked like he hadn't thought about it.

Well, you'll figure it out, she said. You want to ride in a bag?

G-Day

2010-05-31T17:24:00.007-04:00

Yesterday La Petit Chou tried out a Trek 7100 at the Bike Rack in Collegetown. No decision yet but she looked fine and happy on it.

Graduation Day at Cornell is a spectacle. We cooled off awhile in CTB and I shot this happy grad.

A stop at Green Star for some bulk spices, then out to the Pines for Pinesburgers (only one apiece; we're not Challengers). A good day.

Dare Greatly

2010-05-28T10:43:00.004-04:00

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

- Teddy Roosevelt

Morning Prayer

2010-05-25T11:38:00.005-04:00

Morning Prayer
Charcoal & Graphite Drawing, 6 1/2" x 3 1/2"
Matted & framed to 14" x 11"
$925.00

Dio

2010-05-18T12:50:00.000-04:00

R. S. Bohn's 'Loom'

2010-05-11T13:30:00.003-04:00

Morning reading: R. S. Bohn's 'Loom'. New to her work and blog and enjoying both immensely.

Moon Milk Review

2010-05-10T14:17:00.001-04:00

Me and Joe Satriani in the new Moon Milk Review. My thanks to MMR editor Rae Bryant.

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-28T13:29:00.005-04:00

Postcard From A Dream
Ink, Graphite, Charcoal; 4" x 2 1/2"
2004

Here in Rural Northern Appalachia it's cold and windy and a good day for some website cleanup. Stop by and refresh in your browser as needed and if you find broken links or other problems give me a shout.

Dispatches

2010-04-23T20:23:00.007-04:00

Phil McCray says very kind things about my work. If you don't read Phil's blog, you should. This is a good place to start.

From the notebooks:

Once the edge of the known world
Now a storefront for rent
Faded sign from another time:
Radios Repaired, Dispatches Sent...

xTx: Yet, I Kneel. I Tie

2010-04-12T12:45:00.010-04:00

Where Dragons Sleep
Ink, Graphite, Charcoal; 2 7/8" x 4 7/8"

I remember the first time my drawings hung in an exhibition next to an artist whose work I'd admired for awhile. Long time ago and I'm jaded and cynical but maybe not entirely because when one of my drawings appears alongside an xTx story like Yet, I Kneel. I Tie it feels a lot like hanging next to Marty Poole. Again, big thanks to Prick of the Spindle editor Cynthia Reeser.

Here & There

2010-04-08T22:05:00.007-04:00

My drawings Rorrach's Glen and Home Is The Sailor are featured in Water, an exhibition of small works at the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes. The show will be up through April 28 at The ARTS, 32 West Market Street, Corning NY. Thanks to exhibit curator Marc Dennis.

My drawing & flash Last Bell in the new Full of Crow. Thanks to FOC editor Lynn Alexander.

Enfield Glen

2010-04-05T13:38:00.005-04:00

Treman Park, Ithaca.

Preston Reed

2010-04-04T13:52:00.001-04:00

Rolling & Tumbling

2010-03-30T11:08:00.008-04:00

Robert Plant from a 2007 Rolling Stone interview, on Led Zeppelin's film The Song Remains The Same:

I didn't know it was posing. It's only now with an older head, I go, "Oh, God, did that actually work?" But of course it worked. It was as genuine as the day is long. I didn't preen in front of a mirror. My mother said, "You shouldn't pout, it looks stupid." But I pouted because I wanted to be like, "Come on!" I wanted to be Steve Marriott, for fuck's sake. But in that environment, I was way past all that. I was part of some kind of new animal that included everything you see in that film. And I can't get embarrassed by it. At that point, in the film, I was yet to be twenty-five years old. And the group was dead when I was thirty-two. How can any of us have any critical overview about what we do? We were just on fire, rolling and tumbling — and most of the time, incredibly civil to each other.

Led Zeppelin's 02 Arena show was of course pro-shot and recorded but Jimmy Page seems in no hurry about an official release. In the meantime Wendy Records 2cd boot is the best I've heard.

Tim O'Brien

2010-03-29T12:01:00.003-04:00

"The purpose of writing is to enhance mystery, not solve it."

-Tim O'Brien, 1991, from the Artful Dodge interviews archive. Read it here.

Express Lane

2010-03-25T11:04:00.001-04:00

First cashier: “Giovanni’s blowing up my phone.”
Second cashier: “Which one’s Giovanni?”
First cashier: “He’s like, why won’t you date me?”
Second cashier: “Wait– He’s the short one, right?”
First cashier: “Yeah he’s tiny. I said grow and we’ll talk.”

GC Myers: Night and the City

2010-03-24T10:14:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was surprised and delighted to become the new owner of this painting, our friend GC Myers' Night and the City. It was an unexpected and wonderful gift and hangs this morning above my computer desk where I can look at it and smile. Which I am happily.

When I took the painting from its wrapping, I thought Hey I know this guy. I've been writing about this guy. Hey, guy. Good to see you...

Night and the City is from Gary's Outlaws series. Read about it on his outstanding blog redtreetimes.

This is so cool. Thank you, Gary.

Prick of the Spindle

2010-03-23T15:37:00.003-04:00

Several of my drawings are featured in the new issue of Prick of the Spindle. More here. My thanks to PotS editor Cynthia Reeser.

Wait, It'll Come To Me

2010-03-20T12:06:00.006-04:00

Last night I dreamt a small bird with a kitten's face ate crushed peanuts from my hand. An old friend told me what the bird was called, but I've forgotten.

The Nightingale's Garden

2010-03-07T12:11:00.003-05:00

The Nightingale's Garden
Charcoal, Graphite; 5" x 9"

A series of in-progress scans and comments on this drawing are the subject of today's post on WestEndTalk.

No Broken Wings

2010-03-02T13:27:00.001-05:00

No Broken Wings
Charcoal & Graphite drawing

Robert B. Parker

2010-02-25T12:43:00.003-05:00

Robert B. Parker died last month. I didn't know until today.

If you haven't read Parker's Spenser novels, 1980's Early Autumn is a good place to start.

Parker wrote detective fiction. But the heart of his stories was his characters and their relationships, their love and loyalty and honor.

Heart is what set Parker's books apart, why he's the only writer of crime fiction I've read regularly for twenty-five years. Define heart anyway you like: Parker had it, understood it, made it central to his work.

I've never read another writer like Robert B. Parker. God bless his wife and sons and all who loved him. I miss him already.

GC Myers: Finding Home

2010-02-13T19:12:00.003-05:00

A short film by our friend GC Myers. For more, visit Gary's blog.

Home Is The Sailor

2010-02-10T12:07:00.002-05:00

Home Is The Sailor
Charcoal & Graphite Drawing
5 7/8" x 3 1/8", matted & framed to 11" x 8 1/2"

Third Shift

2010-02-08T10:05:00.005-05:00

A poem, Third Shift, is up at amphibi.us. My thanks to editor Shannon Peil.

Aleta Wynn Yarrow: Catching The Dream

2010-02-06T14:11:00.007-05:00

Aleta Wynn Yarrow, Catching The Dream
Paper collage, mixed media

Congratulations and best wishes to our friend Aleta Wynn Yarrow, who's been named the new Director of Interpretive Programs at the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art in Scranton PA.

I first saw Aleta's Catching The Dream years ago in West End Gallery's old space upstairs at 97 West Market. I remember climbing the back stairs, light slanting through the tall window on the landing, and arriving at the top to find this piece hanging on the far wall of the North Gallery. Catching The Dream was my introduction to Aleta's work, and suffice it to say it made a lasting impression.

Aleta's work has always been as personal and uncompromising as any artist I've known. And whatever she does, it's always positive.

The Everhart's gonna like what she brings. She's got all the tools & experience you could ask for- And most importantly, she cares big.

If you know Aleta, these things- especially the latter- are evident. If you don't know her yet, I hope you get the chance.

Parnilla at the Plantations

2010-02-02T15:01:00.004-05:00

Two of La Petit Chou's Cornell Plantations drawings are the subject of today's blogpost at westendtalk.

All That Remains at Blink/Ink

2010-01-28T12:22:00.005-05:00

Blink/Ink Editor Lynn Alexander chose four of my drawings and a poem for this month's Featured Artist Gallery at B/I. Thanks, Lynn.

Lost Roads

2010-01-26T14:13:00.003-05:00

A recent flash, Lost Roads, is up at Ink Sweat & Tears. Again, my thanks to IS&T editor Charles Christian.

Chapel Bell

2010-01-22T21:51:00.009-05:00

Chapel Bell
Charcoal & Graphite
3 ½”” x 2”, matted & framed to 7” x 5”
$450.00

It’s been awhile since I’ve worked this small and tight, and with West End’s annual Little Gems show coming up, a true miniature sounded like fun. I began this drawing by laying out the chapel’s belltower on a clean sheet of Strathmore Bristol Board with a very sharp #3 Dixon Ticonderoga graphite pencil. These pencils are a couple grades harder than the yellow #2s we all used in school, and create fine lines that erase cleanly. With the layout established, I lightened the lines with a kneaded eraser, and shingled the brightly lit surface of the roof with the same pencil. For the shadowed slope I switched to a very sharp, very hard HHH Wolf’s Carbon pencil that’s harder to keep sharp but produces marks a little darker than any of my graphites. The deepest shadows were darkened with HB General Charcoal pencils.

For me, the process of stippling is about adding a little, taking a little away, adding more. When a mark or area becomes too dark, I lighten it with a kneaded eraser shaped to a fine point- Essentially, stippling in the negative. Not quick work, but continuing to build up and adjust marks as needed creates layered surfaces with texture and depth.

The chapel’s roof and walls were created the same way. For the foreground evergreens I used a softer 6B General Charcoal pencil, lightening with a kneaded eraser, softening and blending with a Q-Tip, darkening again, definining further. The foreground wall, bushes and ground cover were established with charcoal pencils, refined with graphite. To create the effect of the farther trees receding into bright mist, I used only graphite pencils to keep values in those areas lighter. The trees’ shapes and mist, the lawn and path were refined and smoothed with kneaded erasers, progressively harder graphite pencils, finishing with a Staedtler 6H.

I began the drawing’s remaining background by loading a cotton ball with powdered charcoal, scrubbing off most of it on scrap paper, then applying what was left very lightly, barely brushing the paper. It’s a technique that borrows something from drybrush, creates a kind of dry wash that's not as smooth as watercolor, but provides a good foundation for a somewhat similar effect. I avoided the finished elements, and developed adjacent areas- along the chapel’s roofline, and at bottom left- with the Staedtler 6H.

And yes, I did remember to use my magnifier this time.

The thumbnail above should load an actual-size jpeg at most browser settings. Here's an enlargement.

Chapel Bell and other recent Mark Reep drawings will be available at West End Gallery’s Little Gems exhibit. The show runs from February 5- March 12; opening reception is Friday, February 5, 5:00- 7:30. If you're interested, call Lin, Hedy or Bridget at 607.936.2011.

Crossposted to West End Gallery's new blog WestEndTalk.

Around The Bend

2010-01-19T13:48:00.004-05:00

Parnilla Carpenter, Around The Bend
Colored Pencil, 3" x 4 1/2"
Matted & framed to 8" x 10"
$150.00

Morning Bell

2010-01-17T10:50:00.003-05:00

Morning Bell
Charcoal, Graphite; 3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Matted & framed to 8" x 10"
$450.00

Amanda Palmer

2010-01-09T20:54:00.002-05:00

My flash Amanda Palmer is up at Girls With Insurance. I am such a fanboy.

Amanda's blog.

Stace Budzko, Shannon Peil

2009-12-18T12:26:00.008-05:00

Morning reading:
Stace Budzko's flash Hands, from the Smokelong Quarterly archives
Outside, a poem by amphibi.us editor Shannon Peil

Blue Pinto

2009-12-15T19:10:00.007-05:00

My flash Blue Pinto is up at Word Riot. Click here to listen to the podcast.

My thanks to WR publisher Jackie Corley, and especially to fiction editor Kevin O'Cuinn. If you get a chance to work with Kevin, make the most of it. Everything I've written since has benefitted, too.