March Ex(clusion) — twenty-eighth day

March 28th, 2022

“Cain turns to Evil to obtain what Good denied him, and he does it voluntarily, self-consciously and with malice aforethought. Christ takes a different path. His sojourn in the desert is the dark night of the soul — a deeply human and universal human experience.”
– Jordan B Peterson

“No tree can grow to Heaven unless its roots reach down to Hell.”
– Carl Gustav Jung
 

Yesterday was really something else, and, if I had to live it repeatedly, I could do much worse. Was the promise of this month’s endeavor fulfilled? Perhaps it even suggests a solution to my quandary of the twenty-third day. If I knew that tomorrow was going to be put on a loop, how would I prepare? How then would I live it? A balance of effort and non-effort? How does one avoid crossing a frontier into excessive introspection? How often should action be diluted with non-action? James emphasized to me the importance of cyclic illumination for seedlings, because a young plant grows more during darkness than it does during the period of light. Similarly, a plant can bend toward the sun only if the cells multiply faster on the opposite side. What can that awareness possibly offer to the contemplative? Is there a meaningful difference between negation and denial? What is the March Ex(clusion) hiding that has yet to be revealed?

Today’s sight bite— A tangle of roots, sod, and invasive ivy, —c-l-i-c-k— as the ground is broken for my new backyard berry patch.

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-seventh day

March 27th, 2022

“We enter the contemplative experience when the movements of the mind — reason, memory, imagination and all their compounds begin to settle into silence. However simple this may sound it is hard work because it demands a radical detachment at the core of our identity.”
– Laurence Freeman
 

Ah, that every day would behold the inner mood of a Sunday morning, whether quiet preparation for bicycling into nature or loving anticipation of yet another crack at meditation. So there you have it. Make each one like that. Especially Mondays. If you bring that into an outing devoted to art, you may bring that into one more day in the studio, too.

Today’s sight bite— A now innocuous square of concrete, with nearby toppled gravestone and pile of discarded lead strips, —c-l-i-c-k— plus foraging robins and squirrels, oblivious that the site once presented a hatless guy of stone whose story was erased in lieu of a full-context teaching opportunity.

March 26th, 2022

 
 
Best
Wishes
to Brendan
and Kat!

 
3/26/22

 

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-fifth day

March 25th, 2022

“None of them [simulations] emphasized protecting public health by showing Americans how to bolster their immune systems, to eat well, to lose weight, to exercise, to maintain vitamin D levels, and to avoid chemical exposure. None of these focused on devising the vital communications infrastructures to link frontline doctors during a pandemic or to facilitate the development and refinement of optimal treatment protocols.”
– Robert F Kennedy, Jr
 

I’ve adopted the practice of “grounding” every morning, standing barefoot in my front yard. Although there are many published enumerations of the benefits, I can’t put into words the positive effect that I feel every time I do it, especially when I look up into the sky. Apparently the human organism is an electo-magnetically sensitive creature like other mammals. Last time I checked, none of them wear shoes. They typically dig in the dirt a lot, too, and I’ve been wanting to do that myself more and more. James is holding some black raspberries for me. Eventually, my whole backyard will probably end up as a crude urban farmstead.

Today’s sight bite— The stark metal structure extending out into the downtown parking lot, —c-l-i-c-k— its black hulk having swallowed what used to be a brewpub previously known as the Beer Engine.

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-fourth day

March 24th, 2022

“He was a Dutch mouse, and lived in a windmill with a little girl named Marsha. The windmill belonged to Marsha’s father and mother, but Mr. Poof belonged to Marsha.”
– Rena & John Jacob Niles, Mr. Poof’s Discovery
 

I’m marveling at Wesley’s masterful graphic illustrations for Larkspur’s newest title. There was a time when Gray was “holding auditions” for a backup engraver. I’m proud to say that I was someone who got a tryout, but Joanne earned the gig (and soundly, too). If Bates can bang out 18 wood blocks for one tale, surely I can create nearly that quantity of collage miniatures by June. (Does that guy over there walking toward April have a starting gun in his hand?)

Today’s sight bite— The image of a mouse, printed with superb artisanship, —c-l-i-c-k— emblematic of a literary partnership that I’ve had the great fortune to observe with intimacy, awe, and gratitude.

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-third day

March 24th, 2022

“To plead the possibility of the merely possible, losing in the process all right to insist on the desirability of what would be better, is finally to lose even the possible.”
– Wendell Berry, That Distant Land
 

Spent most of the day on the Hoover job, and I realize how rusty my graphic production skills have become. I’m also fully aware of my meager attainment in the starting-vegetable-plants department, compared to how James has perfected his pre-garden methods. Faced with big decisions about my deadline for the Berea Learnshops (which were canceled two summers in a row because of infection concerns) and the Al Smith application. If you think about it, life is a four-period ball game. After coming of age, I spent the second quarter as a design professional and the third making a transition to collage artist. Well, I’m getting closer to entering the fourth quarter. Shouldn’t I have figured out by now what the essence of that will be about? (It has a heckuva lot more to do with the natural world. I know that much.)

Today’s sight bite— n o n e

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-second day

March 22nd, 2022

“A recent bill that was introduced would ‘authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of marque and reprisal for the purpose of seizing the assets of certain Russian citizens.’ So, if the bill passes, children can once again legitimately dream of becoming a pirate when they grow up.”
– Simon Black
 

It occurred to me today that Dana and I started out together with our own natural lifestyles, and, over the years, we’ve evolved separately toward the mean. I’m not talking about our personalities, but the way we like to live each day. We actually were remarkably close to begin with, but then we mutually adapted to like each other’s groove a bit more over time. Hey, in other words, it worked out fine. Earlier today we had a busted mission to dig some freebie yard plants. I sowed some wildflowers instead. This morning brought good relations with Les J in England and Tammy in Lake City. That, plus a decent night’s sleep, made this one a keeper before noon.

Today’s sight bite— Flashing lights on the firetruck a stone’s throw away, —c-l-i-c-k— while the morning air filled with enough burnt-toast stink to coax me back inside.

March Ex(clusion) — twenty-first day

March 21st, 2022

“The universe rewards hustle.”
– Joe Rogan
 

Spring done sprang out there, but Dana and I had to spend most of our day putting the finishing touches on “Collage as: Painting in Papers,” my article submission for Contemporary Collage Magazine. Writing something decent always requires that I ask for her help. Mediocre is all I can manage on my own. As I mentioned to Marty, nothing at all might result from this, or it could be one of the most important things ever to come my way as an artist (probably something in between those two extremes). Man, did I want to be outside today! I’ll save that anticipation for tomorrow.

Today’s sight bite— n o n e

March Ex(clusion) — twentieth day

March 20th, 2022

“Of all sources of wealth, farming is the best, the most agreeable, the most profitable, the most noble.”
– Cicero
 

I tied one on at Greystone with Marty, James, Nic, and Seth last night — great fun — and then it was another long work session inside the Blue Bank Hall today, patching and painting with our crew. I broke away later to continue my duties in the “orchard.” Seth and I scheduled the long-awaited transfer of the Legend Papers, and there’s no telling what might come of that.

Today’s sight bite— The near equinoctial sun, piercing through the upper branches of a venerable pear tree, —c-l-i-c-k— as I continued my annual pruning in the family cemetery.

March Ex(clusion) — nineteenth day

March 19th, 2022

“He and I hold some different views, which can be painfully stark these days; at the same time, I will always be a person shaped by his art, and by our love for one another.”
– B C Adkins
 

I stumbled upon Brendan’s gesture of sharing a link to my process video. His “rollover aside” both melts and pierces my heart. (Perhaps that’s as accurate a description of real love as I will ever come up with.)

Today’s sight bite— Searching through my little movie, frame by frame, —c-l-i-c-k— until I finally discover an image of me working outside that is probably better than all the other photos from the past five years.

March Ex(clusion) — eighteenth day

March 18th, 2022

“All has changed, thanks to Trudeau and Freeland setting precedent that a so-called Western G7 democracy can seize its citizens’ bank accounts with no due process and no appeal for the crime of demanding the reinstatement of their civil rights.”
– Mark Jeftovic
 

I think that the fitness matrix of the “March Ex” has fallen apart {that’s not what Ex(clusion) was supposed to mean}. Other progress is being made. I swapped out a couple collage artworks at CAMP. The article for CC:Mag is about ready to be released. Preparations for the coming season of plein air work is coming into focus. Garden preliminaries are seen through. Backyard agenda is at a resting point. And there are still 13 days of the month to transpire. Make the most of them!

Today’s sight bite— n o n e

March Ex(clusion) — seventeenth day

March 17th, 2022

“Some of us, like me, are addicted to truth, logic, and commonsense. We make those who’d rather turn away from the blazing fire of truth uncomfortable. So be it. Are you standing up for what you believe in on a daily basis? Are you looking evil in the eye and refusing to back down when it rears it’s ugly head? Are you a conduit of good? Are you in the asset column or the liability column for your loved ones and community? Do you protect or do you need protecting? Are you a warrior or a victim?”
– Ted Nugent
 

I spent almost five hours in a chair, wrestling paragraphs about my collage artwork into a first draft for Dana’s able editing. I don’t know what the publishers of Contemporary Collage Magazine are expecting, but I’ll be submitting a profile of myself as a landscape artist (and then we’ll go from there).

Today’s sight bite— A split-second flash of brilliant crimson, —c-l-i-c-k— as the male cardinal flees a nearly finished nest in my topiary yew.

March Ex(clusion) — sixteenth day

March 16th, 2022

“Plutarch states that Cato ‘undertook the service of the state as the proper business of an honest man.’”
– Thomas E Ricks, First Principles
 

When the belligerents are making overtures to de-escalate the conflict, why are many so-called leaders failing to soften their hawkish stance in favor of advocating for peace? When the president of Ukraine (still alive) invites a negotiated settlement based on the offered demands, why is the elite “influence class” pushing emotionalism and reckless militarism? Who will benefit from instability, destruction, bloodshed, and death in excess of what the Russians have factored into an achievable outcome? Another potential question: why didn’t Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy stop playing the NATO card long before his nation was ruined? Was he naive, complicit, or merely a dupe? What happens next is unknown, but, without a doubt, analysts will argue over all of this for the rest of my lifetime. The hellish suffering will forge new cadres of radicalized youth and hardened ideologues. Welcome to the ancient steppes of Eurasia.

We won’t go into what Iñigo Navarro says about seeing multiple crows.

Today’s sight bite— Five crows resting high in the “Simon Kenton” maple, —c-l-i-c-k— as they noisily greet number six and seven to the murder.

March Ex(clusion) — fifteenth day

March 15th, 2022

“You only regret the workouts you didn’t do.”
— Joe Rogan
 

Hoov wants me to get involved in his club-jersey project. This is a good reminder that there will always be unexpected things pop up, whenever I allow available time to contract unnecessarily. We had our aborted farm run this morning when Joan had a bad tire intervene south of Danville. My manual labor helped only so much, until Dana provided the brainpower to move us promptly to “best-case scenario.” If I don’t jump on this mild weather (and a bicycle, of course), I may not get in ride for a few days. It’s March. Where’s the commitment?

Today’s sight bite— As flat as a left-rear tire can get, —c-l-i-c-k— before the realization hits: if I can’t loosen these lugs, there isn’t much I can hope to do.

March Ex(clusion) — fourteenth day

March 14th, 2022

“Genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.”
– Charles Baudelaire
 

Nearly half done with the month and it’s a struggle to focus on the guiding objectives. I’m going to have to fight for it now, if I want the final weeks to be worthy. I decided to use the tomato patch for cold-weather salad plants until the maters are ready to plant. We might end up with more greens than we can eat this year, depending on how the farm garden develops.

Today’s sight bite— Hand-manicured dirt and the evidence of seeds gently patted down to their proper depth, —c-l-i-c-k— as rocket, kale, and micro-greens await an early spring germination.

March Ex(clusion) — thirteenth day

March 13th, 2022

“If you believe that the West can craft sanctions that maximize pain for Russia, while minimizing financial stability risks in the West, you could also believe in unicorns.”
– Zoltan Pozsar
 

It was a full day that included our trip to Lexington with Marty, visiting the toy show and Kentucky Crafted Market, along with a couple of nice meals. The best part was seeing grandson and grandmother having such quality time together. I came away from the market more convinced that I wasn’t working hard enough, plus the idea that more “prepared papers” are the way to go. Shocked to learn that Joanne P also hadn’t sold a single piece through Artrepreneur. I grabbed a bit of my own quality time with Terie and Marty when I delivered the big lad home. Afterward: the season-four finale of “Mrs. M.” I was enthralled by Tony S’s brilliantly modulated acting and how integrated it was with his incredible breath control. What does any of this have to do with the March Ex? Very little. Tomorrow must be a day of dedicated re-calibration.

Today’s sight bite— After a fruitless search through the floor of tables at the Lexington Figure Fest, it appeared as though the site was devoid of vintage plastic men, ’til I spied a container of odds and ends, —c-l-i-c-k— with the only “oldies” to be found, including some Hong Kong soldiers, three China martial arts fighters, and one M.U.S.C.L.E.!

March Ex(clusion) — twelfth day

March 12th, 2022

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.”
– James Madison, Federalist Papers
 

It’s getting more difficult to navigate a course of balanced influences, now that everything is so charged with persuasion, hyper-slant, duplicitous rhetoric, or outright psychological manipulation. I’m reading the Pulitzer-Prize-winning book by Thomas E. Ricks about the educational context of four key Framers (not inaccurately sized up as a somewhat revisionist take on how literary writings of the classical world shaped the men who invented the American Republic). I’m monitoring the daily editorial media of populist partisans, as well as alternative analysis (from Tyler Durden to Jimmy Dore). I skim the top stories put out by the Corporate Media. I partake of regular Peterson and Rogan doses. I follow The Marginalian. I watched Oliver Stone’s informative documentary called Ukraine on Fire. Trying to avoid becoming part of somebody’s self-serving agenda can feel like a full-time job!

Today’s sight bite— n o n e

March Ex(clusion) — eleventh day

March 11th, 2022

“In theory, ‘first principles thinking’ requires you to dig deeper and deeper until you are left with only the foundational truths of a situation.”
– James Clear
 

There are some significant things getting done, like the work bench improvements, Town House yard tasks, the indoor planting of seeds for the 2022 garden, and my hand-tool experiment of early spring greens at Blue Bank. A sense of satisfaction is undermined by the recognition that the overall enterprise is out of balance, with my progress on art projects taking a backseat. Plus, I’ve hit a lull in my fitness line-items, despite a major physical effort at the farm today. I’m probably overthinking, as usual, but it just doesn’t feel right. I have to examine more deeply what I’m really trying to accomplish this month.

Today’s sight bites— Way too many Wes Anderson images, —c-l-i-c-k—
—c-l-i-c-k— —c-l-i-c-k— —c-l-i-c-k—
each frame of his delightfully bizarre movie like a miniature painting on the flatscreen.

March Ex(clusion) — tenth day

March 10th, 2022

“The Fates find a way.”
– Virgil
 

Today is the 44th anniversary of our first date, a number that does not fail to gain one’s attention. Long ago, two much younger versions of ourselves transformed what could have been a day of utter dejection into our wellspring of loving companionship. Dana made venison chili while I toasted some blue corn, cheddar-jalapeno nachos. We opened a satisfying Cabernet made from “noble vines” and watched Spielberg’s West Side Story. Still sore from “checklist exercise” and yard activity, I’d done my best to neglect most of the daily duties so characteristic of March.

Today’s sight bite— The sprawling bush, shorn of last year’s tangle of outermost growth, —c-l-i-c-k— with thousands of tiny buds casting a mellow green tint across its bread-loaf shape.

March Ex(clusion) — ninth day

March 9th, 2022

“Synthesis demands regard for complexity.”
– Peter Gay
 

I began the day with the delivery of Cummins Ferry Falls to Lin B, who, with his purchase, had helped “save” the opening night for CHANGE OF SEEN (along with the delightful appearance of Janice and Matt!). I got to see Lin’s acquisition from Asia — a maximalist mixed-media interpretation of the “Smoky Mountain” trash heap in the Philippines. As one of the only representational collage originals that I’ve ever seen, I found it inspiring. There is still so much for me to learn as a paper artist.

Today’s sight bite— The collage-with-gouache masterpiece, —c-l-i-c-k— impressive in scale, imagination, and fluency — the Manila-based artist unknown to my hospitable friend.

March Ex(clusion) — eighth day

March 8th, 2022

“Better to be alone than poorly accompanied.”
— Gad Saad
 

If the sole criteria are the metrics of my peculiar exercise, this could be not inappropriately described as a nearly perfect March day. Indoor and outdoor activity, creative studio time balanced by practical home improvements, and plenty of fitness items duly noted on the traditional handmade checklist. Nevertheless, the undercurrent of grief from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ever present. There is no single perspective that I can adopt, and it is almost beyond my capacities to forge a personal viewpoint that is not overly influenced by the agenda of some ideological bloc. But that won’t stop me from trying.

Today’s sight bite— Sky the shade of an old aluminum pot, —c-l-i-c-k— with the blurred sun like a cool white dwarf, hung all by itself on a curtain of gun nickel.

March Ex(clusion) — seventh day

March 7th, 2022

“How sad in our blinkered arrogance that we go across the globe to the tribal Third World to teach the impoverished a supposedly preferable culture and politics, while at home we are doing our best to become a Third-World country of incompetency, constitutional erosion, a fractious and politicized military elite, and racially and ethnically obsessed warring tribes.”
– Victor David Hanson
 

The last thing I would think is that Ukraine or any other part of the world does not have the rightful destiny of self-determination. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a self-evident truth. But that’s a far cry from jumping into immature, self-righteous posturing or following the drumbeats that would move us toward another proxy war. I happen to be keen on the benefits of Western Civilization, and I won’t apologize for it, nor deny that its finest fruit is American Exceptionalism. But that’s also a far cry from endorsing the ulterior motives of the ruling elites, and how they use secrecy, lies, and propaganda to perpetuate their relentless exploitation and lust for control.

Today’s sight bite— A full conference table of plein air artists, —c-l-i-c-k— the overwhelming majority of whom decided not to wear a face mask.