CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

THE LAST BLUE NOTE I watched again the travel show by Oliver Weber “On The Rails.” The opening episode where he takes the train across the deserts of Mauritania, the most impactual. Oliver makes copious notes in his journal as he travels, even running into another traveler who also journals, adding watercolor sketches between lines. There is so much in this that is me, trains, travel, the desert and art. I have the tools, the journals still blank, the kit of colored water color pencils, a brush to add water, and a pocket of money for the ticket. All things that could fill my life cup with to savor and share. It’s like listening to a jazz player waiting for the last blue note to finally stir you into going. The train from New Orleans will be in Charlotte at 5:49 am tomorrow. It will travel to NY City passing through DC, Phili, Durham, Richmond and places in-between. I wonder each morning why I am not on it. Maybe still waiting the last blue note before I go…  

They call it by various names, expressive painting, freestyle, gestural, abstract. It calls upon you to let your actions run wild, your movement making marks and lines. Ones you can find meaning in later or not at all. Easy Right? The problem is that disconnecting your movement from your thinking is tough. You find your brush hand fighting with your mind. One will not give up on the other. When you paint though, you sometimes find your most free marks on pallet paper, edges of easels and canvas sides. Painters call these leavings. Some study them for hours finding new patterns of marks and colors to use in the next painting. Jackson Pollack became famous for his drip paintings. He discovered the technique by watching paint drip from a stir stick and observing its random marks. A famous painter I knew always took pictures of left marks. He explained how he had become so popular that patrons wanted the same type of painting over and over again. The only freedom he had were the side marks...

  Art is full of movement, technique, and styles. Three that have lasted since the early 20th century are collages, assemblage, and montages. Some ask if these are art at all. Are they true creations or merely curations? You wonder if Picasso and Braque debated this while they did assemblage work which they eventually coined as “cubism.” Artists are always pressed to explain their techniques. Assemblages are three dimensional works produced largely from found objects. Montages are often associated with film work and other mediums where short series are combined. Both these techniques lend themselves to narratives. The art tends toward telling a story.  Collages, on the other hand, are simply gathering of pieces of the world. A photograph, label from a shipping container, a torn painting, Colorful pieces of paper, written text or marks. The artist never intends to tell a story, but instead create a visual impact. The collages are the most freeing because of this. They are wonde...

  The camera is a tool for seeing the world. You find yourself drawn to certain things as you photograph. Some are dramatic and bold, others you find in quiet moments. All the patina, scrapes and colors seemingly crying out for understanding. Sometimes they are gathered in simple objects like found metal parts or sheets. I once has a art studio along Airport Way in Seattle. Across from the studio sat a small triangle shaped lot filled with metal. An old worn sign you could barely make out read “All Metal.” Often the owner of the yard sat in his office, a small industrial light illuminating his desk. Old trucks, some still with barrels of metal on them, parked near by.  Overtime, I learned bits and pieces about the place. The business there forever. Scrap metal all sorted and marked. It came from Seattle buildings gone and vessels parted out. Artist had discovered the place long ago. They often could be seen sorting through the stacks of metal for the just right piece for their...

  Ever since the TV series Portlandia, the Rose City has gained an image of being different, even strange. There is a feeling of artsy in the young people and the many small businesses catering to the Portland way. In recent times, the nature of the place has led to problems, drugs and homelessness. Still it remains a wonderful place to explore. The city has a wealth of low profile buildings especially in the Northwest and East Side portions. Colors and contrasts abound. There is nothing here that say “the same.” No ditto buildings piled against other ditto ones.  They say that good photography is born out of finding stillness and studying all aspects of a scene. The contrasts of people, buildings and vides in Portland teach a different dance for your camera. Some of the contrasts are just meant to be together, others stretch the mind to blend and understand. It all works out though, as you walk this wonderful city and find yourself dancing it’s side streets.

  A good parking garage can make the day, especially if they are well designed and close to popular venues. Many though are dark places, often ill planned and underused. Every crime drama seems to have one, the infamous garage scene. Candy Man, Fargo, Death Sentence, Terminator and Furious 7.  While your in them, you can imagine most anything. Shapes and sounds pull at your mind. Shopping center garages often sit largely empty for most of the year, only to fill to the edges during Xmas shopping season, adding to the uneasiness of them. Few have the smoothness and finery of the building they serve. The contractor leaving rough marks, the architect making it the last thing they design. Over the years, some become blights on the city, no longer serving any purpose. Still the ones that do still work are indispensable.  Developers are always cautioned to not pay the contractor until the garage is finished. Good advice, as many look like they are not. The darkness is not a frie...