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Cooperix
03-28-2020, 08:47 PM
Greetings,

Some years ago, a local artist was making ceramic pins that said ‘Art Saves Lives’. I found them humorous and sweet but really does art save lives? Seemed indulgent and a bit of an exaggeration to me.

Then I went through a very, very dark period and only when I finally accessed my creative instincts did I begin to recover. Both through writing and making art. Art saved my life.

These are hard times for us all over the globe. Some being more seriously affected than others. But we are united in a global bond of anxiety. And I realize that more than anything I want to be in my studio. I’ve started a body of work I call ‘Sail Away’, small ceramic boats in boxes. It wasn’t until I had several made that I realized I was fantasizing about being aboard, smooth sailing ahead to a safe and beautiful place.
I attach two images, poorly photographed but you get the idea of my fantasy project. Scale small (10"x 6" x 4" max), clay, bee's wax, pigment, copper
6351
6353

The healing power of creativity has been well documented. This article is from the Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-healing-power-of-art

Let your creative self surface, now is the time! The world needs your creative power.

Now from Meitou:

Anne has talked about her 'fantasy project'. In these difficult times, when movement is restricted and many sources of material aren't available to us, the one constant we have is our imagination.
Using what resources you have on hand, and using locations locally available to you, can you express the emotions you are processing at the moment? You may want to escape into a safe haven like Anne, you may want to enter fully into places of fear, or of hope. You may simply want to allow everything you are feeling right now, the confusion, not knowing, uncertainty to spill out intuitively without too much reflection.

You may, like me, enjoy the challenge of finding ways to be creative when all your normal avenues of expression have been restricted or removed. I can no longer take photos when I go out, I am required by law to go from location A (home) to B for an urgent legitimate reason as stated on a self certificate which I must present to the police on demand. These forms are entering into our culture as icons, not just of the terrible times we are living through, but as a reminder that Italian bureaucracy is one feature of our lives that Covid 19 will never kill. They have already been amended twice, and their previous incarnations may appear in my contribution to this project.

An wonderful example from our sangha, Sharan has started an online diary documenting the pandemic in his country. https://www.onajkojikuca.com/dnevnik-pandemije/

As with our previous project, drop all ideas of self judgement, just enter fully into the process, let it assist and guide your imagination.

And as usual, your creative output can take whatever form you choose; images, words, music, fibre art, organic, anything you like. Use your imagination!

Gassho

Anne and Meitou

we both sat today

Geika
03-28-2020, 09:37 PM
This is the kind of thing I've been doing lately. I got some really fine tipped MUJI pens.

I like to just let the lines come out, and maybe they start to look like something.

Gassho
Sat today, lahhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200328/2db49e74206bd069edc81fb612feacee.jpg

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Jinyo
03-28-2020, 09:39 PM
Thank you Anne and Meitou - it feel comforting to have this project.

I love the boats Anne.

Gassho,

Jinyo

Shinshi
03-28-2020, 10:39 PM
gassho2

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

Meian
03-29-2020, 01:59 PM
Okay.

Work in progress, just today:

"Silence Unintentional"
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200329/63583db9c033cab3d99d89e68be80768.jpg

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Cooperix
03-29-2020, 05:06 PM
Geika,
Thanks for sharing your drawing. It doesn't have to look like anything but what it is. Frank Stella famously said, "My painting is based on the fact that only what is there is there." I love that. Your drawing is strong and stands as it is. And I enjoy the mark the pen makes. I have to look up MUJI pens. Makes a fine line!

And Meian, beautiful swath of energy represented in this painting. Looks to be small and intimate. I love the title as part of the piece. It is a good phrase...silence unintentional.

Thanks both for letting us in.
And bows Jinyo, glad you like the boats!

Gassho
Anne

~lahst~

Jishin
03-29-2020, 05:15 PM
Didn't do this one but I like a lot.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200329/6489abfe98258520f3bcc5db46b95098.jpg

Gassho, ST

Sharan
03-29-2020, 06:03 PM
Art, in all of its forms, has been following me around my whole life. I would probably function a lot differently, be more agitated or unhappy if I was faced with life without art. I think it's a good guide to where your soul wants to be.

I love all of your works. Kinda envious at Geika lines, I always wanted to do that kind of doodles, but failed miserably :)

This is how I've used my coronavirus quarantine so far...

Back in 2019, I've decided to finally join the #Inktober challenge. In case you haven't heard of it, each day in October you get a word prompt which you use as a base for your ink drawing. It's super fun, and they publish all 31 words before October, so you can think about the possible ideas for your drawings. The idea is to get into a drawing shape.

I've decided to draw 31 comics based on 31 words and different philosophical aspects of Buddhism, be it Zen or whatever. The main character, Buddha (not the historic one, but one of us :) ) is also part of the larger universe created by me - he's got the main role in the 10001 Buda project, where I'm making 10001 Buddha stickers by hand. Once this all goes away, I'm gonna ask for your addresses, so you can all make Buddha travel the world.

https://www.instagram.com/10001buda/

Now, I've decided to properly digitize my Inktober comics and the result is available at https://www.onajkojikuca.com/series/inktober2019/

First, I did all the scanning, then I needed to prepare the scanned documents, work on blacks and whites. After that, all the lettering has been done on the computer. In original form, I do all the lettering by myself, but a friend of mine who also used to draw for Marvel Comics made me use computer fonts for easier understanding and readability. Now, when I see the final result, I can't say he was wrong at all. These comics look more professional than anything I drew myself before.

It is in English and easy to understand. Feel free to share, comment, discuss it with me. New photographs in the Pandemic Diary section will arrive soon! Thank you all for your support!

Sharan
SjeoDanas (SatToday)

Meian
03-29-2020, 07:36 PM
I like the moon box -- I'm a Moon child, and it looks blue to me ..... i'm rather drawn to it, not sure why.

Geika, just my feeling -- i see dragons, but i love dragons. :) I agree with Sharan, would love to do that, but my hands do not allow for that coordination. Respect.

Sharan, I now have your pandemic blog link on my phone (so i can look at photos). i will add inktober as well, since i deactivated instagram. thank you.

Jishin -- one of my favorite pieces with powerful energy and emotion in it. thank you.

"silence" .... is 18" x 24" paper .... i found an old pad from 15-20 years ago (lots of old sketches, paintings in it, buried away) ..... at least the paint is new :D

anne and meitou -- thank you for the gentle examples you set, and how you teach.

gassho2, meian

Sharan
03-29-2020, 08:02 PM
Thank you, Meian... here are some of the new photos I've finally managed to edit. I'll probably not post as much in the following days because from tomorrow I'll be working from home and will respect the quarantine.

Curfew Cat made me really happy with her (typical of cats) uninvolved behavior. This one was sitting on the window sill in my mom's aunt building. Aunt asked me to bring her some puzzles because she can't go out. Cat made my day: https://www.onajkojikuca.com/dnevnik-pandemije/

This runner's pic I caught while riding a bike to work. He was running down the Wilson's Lane in Sarajevo, popular 3k road that's closed for the cars after 5 PM so people usually go out there with their kids, cycling, eating cobs of corn, walking and so on. The trail he's taking has been made by runners who don't want to run on the hard surfaces. https://www.onajkojikuca.com/dnevnik-pandemije/2/

Bosnians have this stubbornness and they don't cancel stuff that's important to them. I'm not saying this is the case for this subject of mine, but her family decided to paint the walls anew with painters arriving during pandemic. I caught her on her way back from the local store, she was carrying coffee she made for the painters: https://www.onajkojikuca.com/dnevnik-pandemije/5/

Sharan
SjeoDanas (SatToday)

Cooperix
03-29-2020, 09:01 PM
That is the iconic image for anxiety, Jishin, Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893).
A world of anxiety right now.
Thank you Meian for your kind words....

Bows
Anne

~lahst~

Yokai
03-29-2020, 09:52 PM
Lockdown: here's my boy Dylan, gazing at the world outside...

6355

In this together...
Gassho, Chris satlah

Cooperix
03-29-2020, 10:08 PM
Beautiful Chris, So evocative of separation. Almost lonely.
Anne, st

Sharan
03-29-2020, 10:21 PM
That is the iconic image for anxiety, Jishin, Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893).
A world of anxiety right now.
Thank you Meian for your kind words....

Bows
Anne

~lahst~

Bowing to Dylan. Kids are taking it like the champs. The most important thing is to talk with the little ones now and educate them on the facts.

Sharan
SjeoDanas (SatToday)

Yokai
03-29-2020, 10:24 PM
One more: store mannequins wait too.

6356

Thanks for inspiring me to restart the art.
Gassho Chris

Mitka
03-30-2020, 12:47 AM
Loving everyone's art! I too have been delving into my more creative side recently. Here is some amateur practice (I just picked up a calligraphy brush today for the first time in around 20 years) calligraphy and ensos.

6357

The two characters are actually not characters, not in the Chinese or kanji sense. They are an alphabet I created to write a language I also created. The alphabet is similar to the Korean Hangul script, letters are arraigned in syllable blocks to create words. The two syllables I used here read [tsuo|e], which is the word for "Buddha nature" in the language I created. They are both marked for the ergative case (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergative_case), which marks the subject of a transitive verb. "|" is a sound made by rapidly withdrawing your tongue from your teeth, technically it is called a dental click (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_click). It is the disapproving sound English speakers make that we usually write "tssk-tssk".

I've always love languages ever since my dad read The Lord of The Rings to me and I fell in love with all the languages Tolkien created for his books. I made a lot of languages (the process of making a language is called "conlanging"- "constructed languageing") myself when I was young. They were mostly Latin clones. I haven't made any languages in years, it was mostly a youthful obsession. But recently I have gotten back into it, and have been having a lot of fun. This language I've been working with is especially fun. It's a lot like Chinese, with some Swahili grammar mixed in and a Klingon word order. It contains some unusual sounds like clicks and implosives. I've tried to work Buddhist ideas into the grammar... for example, one noun class (think grammatical gender like Spanish los muchachos/ las muchachas) includes all "sticky things". Some words in that class are: honey, molasses, mud, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, time, the past, the future.

I've been translating some Buddhist texts into my language. Maybe I will share them later on.

Gassho,
Mitka
Sat

Yokai
03-30-2020, 01:30 AM
Thank you Mitka for sharing your unique calligraphy and your fascinating creative process. Your post exemplifies Art as Healing...it is fragrant with the pleasure you get from this linguistic/artistic adventure! Just great! :encouragement:

Deeps bows, Chris

Mitka
03-30-2020, 02:31 PM
Thank you Chris. Usually people just think I'm weird for creating my own languages (they think it's a complete waste of time which, granted, it is!), so I was happy to read your reply. To me the whole impracticability of conlanging is one of the advantages of it. Since it is uniquely inaccessible as an art form (nobody is going to learn your language in order to appreciate how much thought and attention you put into it) there is less thought about profiting by it in some way and more space to just focus on doing it just because you like doing it. I know a lot of painters and poets and novel writers can do this too, but for me it was always a problem. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my what I shared, I hope to be able to share some more later.

Art is healing. It reminds us that there is a whole dimension of reality separate from everyday life and invites us to spend more time there than we usually do. In that way it is like meditation. Thank you everyone for sharing your art and inspiring me to revisit some of my old interests.


Lockdown: here's my boy Dylan, gazing at the world outside...

6355

In this together...
Gassho, Chris satlah
I love this. I can really feel the longing and frustration for not being able to go outside. Also reminds me of what it feels like to look out a window after a good zazen session.

Gassho,
Mitka
Sat

Jishin
03-30-2020, 03:45 PM
My good friend Loki (god of mischief) is always ready for a modeling session.

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__ https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200330/bcdac36da6c458815400f38ec24a6ac2.jpg

Jakuden
03-30-2020, 05:05 PM
Loving everyone's art! I too have been delving into my more creative side recently. Here is some amateur practice (I just picked up a calligraphy brush today for the first time in around 20 years) calligraphy and ensos.

6357

The two characters are actually not characters, not in the Chinese or kanji sense. They are an alphabet I created to write a language I also created. The alphabet is similar to the Korean Hangul script, letters are arraigned in syllable blocks to create words. The two syllables I used here read [tsuo|e], which is the word for "Buddha nature" in the language I created. They are both marked for the ergative case (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergative_case), which marks the subject of a transitive verb. "|" is a sound made by rapidly withdrawing your tongue from your teeth, technically it is called a dental click (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_click). It is the disapproving sound English speakers make that we usually write "tssk-tssk".

I've always love languages ever since my dad read The Lord of The Rings to me and I fell in love with all the languages Tolkien created for his books. I made a lot of languages (the process of making a language is called "conlanging"- "constructed languageing") myself when I was young. They were mostly Latin clones. I haven't made any languages in years, it was mostly a youthful obsession. But recently I have gotten back into it, and have been having a lot of fun. This language I've been working with is especially fun. It's a lot like Chinese, with some Swahili grammar mixed in and a Klingon word order. It contains some unusual sounds like clicks and implosives. I've tried to work Buddhist ideas into the grammar... for example, one noun class (think grammatical gender like Spanish los muchachos/ las muchachas) includes all "sticky things". Some words in that class are: honey, molasses, mud, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, time, the past, the future.

I've been translating some Buddhist texts into my language. Maybe I will share them later on.

Gassho,
Mitka
Sat

Holy cow that is the coolest thing I've heard in awhile (probably since Sekishi's dabblings with pixels and AI learning)

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

Cooperix
03-30-2020, 07:04 PM
Loving everyone's art! I too have been delving into my more creative side recently. Here is some amateur practice (I just picked up a calligraphy brush today for the first time in around 20 years) calligraphy and ensos.

6357

The two characters are actually not characters, not in the Chinese or kanji sense. They are an alphabet I created to write a language I also created. The alphabet is similar to the Korean Hangul script, letters are arraigned in syllable blocks to create words. The two syllables I used here read [tsuo|e], which is the word for "Buddha nature" in the language I created. They are both marked for the ergative case (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergative_case), which marks the subject of a transitive verb. "|" is a sound made by rapidly withdrawing your tongue from your teeth, technically it is called a dental click (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_click). It is the disapproving sound English speakers make that we usually write "tssk-tssk".

I've always love languages ever since my dad read The Lord of The Rings to me and I fell in love with all the languages Tolkien created for his books. I made a lot of languages (the process of making a language is called "conlanging"- "constructed languageing") myself when I was young. They were mostly Latin clones. I haven't made any languages in years, it was mostly a youthful obsession. But recently I have gotten back into it, and have been having a lot of fun. This language I've been working with is especially fun. It's a lot like Chinese, with some Swahili grammar mixed in and a Klingon word order. It contains some unusual sounds like clicks and implosives. I've tried to work Buddhist ideas into the grammar... for example, one noun class (think grammatical gender like Spanish los muchachos/ las muchachas) includes all "sticky things". Some words in that class are: honey, molasses, mud, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, time, the past, the future.

I've been translating some Buddhist texts into my language. Maybe I will share them later on.

Gassho,
Mitka
Sat

Hello Mitka,

I agree with Jakuken!

Languages are fascinating and the way marks are made to denote ideas is as well. I use marks as notations that could be language, or written thoughts or chants often in my artwork, but you've gone a step further and actually made up a written language. I love that. Clearly you know linguistics to formulate syntax and grammar and must know a fair bit about obscure languages. Totally cool.

Wonderful and good that you have returned to a childhood passion. So much of our creativity is squashed out of us once we 'grow up'.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up." Picasso

bows
Anne

~lahst~

Tai Do
04-02-2020, 08:07 PM
Thank you all for your sharing your work with us here. Mitka, I’m impressed by what you are doing. And I think the real beauty of art is that it is really not useful for anything directly, in other words, it is not a means for other ends, but function as an end in itself. In my book, it makes these processes more valuable than the things we do in order to achieve other ends.

I will present here a poem I've been working on since last spring (september-december in Southern Hemisphere). It is a seasonable poem in tanka format (Japanese morae 5-7-5-7-7). I made the poem in Portuguese, then translated it to Japanese and started to change the words until I reached the format. It take me some months in order to give its final form (of course I did not work on it every day). I intend to write it with ink on paper, but the kanji are very complicated for me to write in calligraphy form right now.

Here is the final version:

春の朝
小鳥の声を
ジャカランダが
道の横には
紫に咲く

English translation:

Spring’s morning
[I hear] the voice of a small bird
The jacaranda [tree]
In the side of the road
Blooms in purple

I love this tree, as is one of the more commons and appreciated trees in my family’s city, Porto Alegre. They bloom beautifully in purple and male the ground like a purple tapestry. I made this poem because I was surprised to see that they also exist and blooms here (center of Brazil), although there is no cold and no humidity like in the South. Of course, the trees here are very small compared to the southern ones, but the birds sing just like there.
In these lockdown autumn times, the remembrance of the spring is a good thing to do.
Here are some photos from google images of jacaranda blooming on Porto Alegre (they are the purple ones, the others are ypes):

https://www.google.com/search?q=jacarand%C3%A1s+florindo+porto+alegre&sxsrf=ALeKk03NyDUTbpg_KBpoSbnCGo_5xQ3xzA:158585700 6549&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhu6jcwcroAhUiHbkGHeUKAVAQ_AUoAnoECAoQB A&biw=1366&bih=623

Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Heiso
04-03-2020, 03:38 PM
Thank you everyone for sharing your art. I need to find a medium other than the garden, I'm following this thread with interest.

Gassho,

Heiso

StLah

Tai Do
04-03-2020, 06:24 PM
Show us your garden in photos, Heiso. I think it is wonderful to care for a garden.
Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Mitka
04-03-2020, 09:51 PM
Thanks everyone! I'm happy to know that other people beside us language geeks can be enthusiastic about language :).

Hello Mitka,

I agree with Jakuken!

Languages are fascinating and the way marks are made to denote ideas is as well. I use marks as notations that could be language, or written thoughts or chants often in my artwork, but you've gone a step further and actually made up a written language. I love that. Clearly you know linguistics to formulate syntax and grammar and must know a fair bit about obscure languages. Totally cool. Marks and types of notation are forms of languages too. The only difference is how much information they convey. The beauty of art is that it is so expressive in it's own right it usually doesn't need a full blown writing system of it's own. Artists can convey ideas and emotions outside words and across language barriers. It's a little bit like Zen in that way. Another reason it can be so healing.


Wonderful and good that you have returned to a childhood passion. So much of our creativity is squashed out of us once we 'grow up'.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up." Picasso

bows
Anne

~lahst~ I love that quote, thanks for sharing. Yes utilitarianism and economic calculations have killed creativity in adults. We don't have "time" for "useless" activities like painting or poetry. It's a shame that a lot of adults live like this. I wasn't able to connect deeply with my creativity again until I started practicing.

Thank you all for your sharing your work with us here. Mitka, I’m impressed by what you are doing. And I think the real beauty of art is that it is really not useful for anything directly, in other words, it is not a means for other ends, but function as an end in itself. In my book, it makes these processes more valuable than the things we do in order to achieve other ends.

I will present here a poem I've been working on since last spring (september-december in Southern Hemisphere). It is a seasonable poem in tanka format (Japanese morae 5-7-5-7-7). I made the poem in Portuguese, then translated it to Japanese and started to change the words until I reached the format. It take me some months in order to give its final form (of course I did not work on it every day). I intend to write it with ink on paper, but the kanji are very complicated for me to write in calligraphy form right now.

Here is the final version:

春の朝
小鳥の声を
ジャカランダが
道の横には
紫に咲く

English translation:

Spring’s morning
[I hear] the voice of a small bird
The jacaranda [tree]
In the side of the road
Blooms in purple

I love this tree, as is one of the more commons and appreciated trees in my family’s city, Porto Alegre. They bloom beautifully in purple and male the ground like a purple tapestry. I made this poem because I was surprised to see that they also exist and blooms here (center of Brazil), although there is no cold and no humidity like in the South. Of course, the trees here are very small compared to the southern ones, but the birds sing just like there.
In these lockdown autumn times, the remembrance of the spring is a good thing to do.
Here are some photos from google images of jacaranda blooming on Porto Alegre (they are the purple ones, the others are ypes):

https://www.google.com/search?q=jacarand%C3%A1s+florindo+porto+alegre&sxsrf=ALeKk03NyDUTbpg_KBpoSbnCGo_5xQ3xzA:158585700 6549&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhu6jcwcroAhUiHbkGHeUKAVAQ_AUoAnoECAoQB A&biw=1366&bih=623

Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAHThanks for sharing your poem, Mateus. A beautiful snapshot of spring. There is so much beauty in those little moments like the one you describe, but we miss them all the time. How does your poem read phonetically in Japanese? Those jacarandas looks absolutely beautiful.

I too love spring for the flowering trees. Wish we had some jacarandas here in Ohio. There is a Bradford pear across the street in full bloom of white flowers. My father hates it because it's an "invasive species" but it's absolutely gorgeous in spring.

I'm currently taking an online sumi-e course from a teacher. Here is my first homework assignment "Orchids".

6367

I added a poem as well. The poem reads:

ts’on ʃak tsuo tsak
ling hak jæɨmu tsak
lingts’on hæt jaim1 ǃa1
suong zuiq ʃuiq suongʘa1

The poem means:

The Buddha is the sun
The dharma is light
Bathe in that sunlight
Let your flower bloom

Those weird symbols designate certain sounds in the International Phonetic Alphabet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet). The number "1" that is placed at the end of some words denotes a "creaky voice" phonation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creaky_voice). If you aren't familiar with that, you have heard it if you ever heard people like Britney Spears or Zoe Deschanel talk (https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/01/creaky-voice-yet-another-example-of-young-womens-linguistic-ingenuity/267046/). It's also called "vocal fry".

I love how 1st grade my calligraphy looks.

Gassho,
Mitka
Sat

Tai Do
04-04-2020, 01:41 PM
Thanks for sharing your poem, Mateus. A beautiful snapshot of spring. There is so much beauty in those little moments like the one you describe, but we miss them all the time. How does your poem read phonetically in Japanese? Those jacarandas looks absolutely beautiful.


Thanks Mitka.

The Japanese pronunciation should be:

春の朝 (Haru no asa)
小鳥の声を (kotori no koe o)
ジャカランダが (jakaranda ga)
道の横には (michi no yoko ni wa)
紫に咲く (murasaki ni saku)

I love your sumi-e panting. It is very impressive for a first homework. Thanks for sharing with us.

Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Nengei
04-05-2020, 03:36 PM
Beautiful, creative artworks, friends.

My art takes a certain amount of comfort from focus on technique and control. When someone talks about painting with abandon, or letting their feelings out on the canvas... I'm not entirely sure what that means. I see people do it. I think about it. And I think about representing the current global crises. I'm not sure what that will look like yet. In the meantime I breathe out, long and slow, while my brush moves across my canvas. I am preparing to turn my work from still live to figurative and portrait paintings. Lately, I am doing a lot of basic exercises to ensure that I do not lack any of the fundamental skills I need.

Stuff can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/josephalexanderstudio/ and I am building a website here: https://www.josephalexanderstudio.com.

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat today. LAH

Cooperix
04-06-2020, 06:48 PM
春の朝
小鳥の声を
ジャカランダが
道の横には
紫に咲く

Mateus, I love the visual symmetry of this verse. And the translation too!

Such wonderful work here.

And Nengei, beautiful work. So serene and quiet. I look forward to seeing your portraits! The late artist Robert Peterson's paintings have a similar quietness as yours. He Was deaf, and you can see that in his work. Silent paintings. https://www.askart.com/artist/Robert_Baard_Peterson/86439/Robert_Baard_Peterson.aspx
https://www.southwestart.com/articles-interviews/featured-artists/robert_peterson
Your curiosity about spontaneity in making art is shared and envied by me. Everything I make has to be carefully considered, measured, constructed etc. But that's what I do. Thanks for posting...

gassho

Anne

~st~

Meitou
04-06-2020, 07:25 PM
So much fabulous work here, it's quite breathtaking. So much creativity in Treeleaf, please keep sharing and do contribute to the Art Circle.
Wonderful stuff,
Gassho
Meitou
Sattodaylah

Meitou
04-11-2020, 07:19 PM
During the lockdown, I've been exploring our very small apartment as photo subject and a way of expressing our new lifestyle. Before lockdown, there were times when I looked out of the windows with a longing to be outside, but for one reason or another couldn't go out at that point. Since our lives changed, the outside has taken on a different shade - inside is now safe, whereas outside is a constant, ongoing threat and a source of an underlying thrumming anxiety. This first series of photographs, which some of you will already have seen on Instagram, are an attempt to reflect that unseen threat attempting to enter into my safe inside space. Now that the beautiful spring weather is with us, for my next sequence I'll be approaching the windows and gradually moving outside into our tiny yard.

6391

6388

6389


/...
Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Meitou
04-11-2020, 07:22 PM
Some more of the above...

6393

6394

6395

Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Tai Do
04-11-2020, 08:52 PM
Thank you for sharing, Meitou.
I couldn't open the links on your first post, but in the second post the beuatiful photos express perfectly this inside-outside contrast that you mentioned.
Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Meitou
04-11-2020, 11:08 PM
Thank you for sharing, Meitou.
I couldn't open the links on your first post, but in the second post the beuatiful photos express perfectly this inside-outside contrast that you mentioned.
Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Ugh Mateus, to cut a long story short I had a difficult time posting these, they didn't work how I wanted , then I couldn't get them deleted either :D
There should be 2 posts and a total of 6 photos. I can see them all, but that means nothing, so perhaps you can let me know which batch you can see.
Apologies
Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Tai Do
04-12-2020, 01:21 AM
Some more of the above...

6393

6394

6395

Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Hi Meitou,
These are the ones I can se. Don’t know if it is only a problem of my cel or or something like this. Again, thank you for sharing your photos with us.
Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

Cooperix
04-12-2020, 02:32 AM
I can see them all, Meitou.
No problem here.

Bows
Anne

~lahst~

Jishin
04-14-2020, 03:13 PM
Friends.



https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200414/3bf2a8fae20a9f48589a9c549f2c2242.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Cooperix
04-14-2020, 07:35 PM
Meitou,
Those images are full of such deep emotion, so moody and clearly expressing your own sense of beauty found in isolation. An artist's eye. Thank you.
An Jishin, opening that image took my breath away! such a dramatic image.

There must be more of you out there working on your projects, sewing masks, putting together creative meals, taking pictures, drawing. Please share! I am making masks and might post a few images.

gassho
Anne

~lahst~

Jishin
04-14-2020, 08:10 PM
Thank you Anne!

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Kotei
04-15-2020, 04:51 PM
(...)
There must be more of you out there working on your projects, sewing masks, putting together creative meals, taking pictures, drawing. Please share! I am making masks and might post a few images.

Hello,
over here, it's more about maintenance of the past projects and preparation for something new.
It's spring and after the winter, there is a lot to do in the garden. Cleaning up, repairing, controlling the new growth, repotting the little trees, placing some new stepping stones.
It's more a samu like existence of fusing with what needs attention.
The virus stopped a project with a customer of one of the garden architects, I am working with.
After all, not very photogenic ;-).

Again, I like all your works very much.
With lots of garden works, the feeling is very much different, than the pictures of Meitou,
but they let me feel how it would be without.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

Yokai
04-16-2020, 01:17 AM
I love the variety of all your posts gassho1. This is very simple...the artless art of a moment?

6408

Gassho, C stlah

Jishin
04-16-2020, 03:08 AM
Wonderful!

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Jishin
04-16-2020, 08:43 PM
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200416/64af2688e4e3d3756f3d2693b2398732.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Shokai
04-17-2020, 02:00 AM
wow, awesome photo Jishin; he looks better than the beast in "Beauty and the ..":encouragement:

gassho, shokai
stlah

Tai Shi
04-17-2020, 03:37 AM
Jishin, you are an artist in the real meaning of the word. Inspiration in a big cat. I see the results; you see the process, and it's not as easy as you make it look in beauty and elegance easy. It's not easy, for sure, you make it look easy, big cat, be careful; they can carry Covid-19. Cats not like dogs, different kinds of folks-- people who like cats. I came late to the cat club. I was 58, just forced to quit working because couldn't lift, stand, or walk much. So I did make a trip to Iowa, before helped Marge pick out a lovely tiger striped kitty, gray, brown, and black, about to be put down. They get too big--kids aren't interested. So she snuggled into our arms, and purred -- she was ours. I'm going back to my kit lens for walking, the 18 to 200 is just too heavy-- renew an old skill. Take pictures of our kitty. Her name is Pepper.
Tai Shi
Good shooting
sat/lah
Gassho

Jishin
04-17-2020, 03:42 AM
Thank you Shokai and Tai Shi!

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Jishin
04-17-2020, 06:31 AM
Playful feline.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200417/9bd9dc5af31f37696c3295685f12df64.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Jundo
04-17-2020, 09:21 AM
World-famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama offered up a brief moment of pause Wednesday through the power of a poem she wrote about the coronavirus pandemic.

"Today, with the world facing COVID-19, I feel the necessity to address it with this message," reads her message on the Victoria Miro gallery website.

The poem that follows extends words of hope, love and defiance: "To COVID-19 that stands in our way," she writes, "I say Disappear from this earth."

The 91-year-old artist, known for her obsession with dots and her widely popular exhibition installations, says now is the time "to stand up," expressing gratitude to those "who are already fighting."

She signs off as, "Revolutionist of the world of the Art."

https://us.cnn.com/style/article/yayoi-kusama-coronavirus-poem/index.html

---

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F170512124516-yayoi-kusama-portrait-homepage-tease.jpg

Though it glistens just out of reach, I continue to pray for hope to shine through
Its glimmer lighting our way
This long awaited great cosmic glow
Now that we find ourselves on the dark side of the world
The gods will be there to strengthen the hope we have spread throughout the universe
For those left behind, each person's story and that of their loved ones
It is time to seek a hymn of love for our souls
In the midst of this historic menace, a brief burst of light points to the future
Let us joyfully sing this song of a splendid future
Let's go
Embraced in deep love and the efforts of people all over the world
Now is the time to overcome, to bring peace
We gathered for love and I hope to fulfil that desire
The time has come to fight and overcome our unhappiness
To COVID-19 that stands in our way
I say Disappear from this earth
We shall fight
We shall fight this terrible monster
Now is the time for people all over the world to stand up
My deep gratitude goes to all those who are already fighting.
Revolutionist of the world by the Art
From Yayoi Kusama

Jishin
04-18-2020, 10:43 PM
Adolescent African Elephant. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200418/99cec36c199baccdd999500abd8422cc.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Jishin
04-19-2020, 12:02 AM
Some die so others can live.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200419/f795926b2736d04d5d7bfecf98855f49.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Meitou
04-19-2020, 07:11 AM
World-famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama offered up a brief moment of pause Wednesday through the power of a poem she wrote about the coronavirus pandemic.

"Today, with the world facing COVID-19, I feel the necessity to address it with this message," reads her message on the Victoria Miro gallery website.

The poem that follows extends words of hope, love and defiance: "To COVID-19 that stands in our way," she writes, "I say Disappear from this earth."

The 91-year-old artist, known for her obsession with dots and her widely popular exhibition installations, says now is the time "to stand up," expressing gratitude to those "who are already fighting."

She signs off as, "Revolutionist of the world of the Art."

https://us.cnn.com/style/article/yayoi-kusama-coronavirus-poem/index.html

---

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets% 2F170512124516-yayoi-kusama-portrait-homepage-tease.jpg

Though it glistens just out of reach, I continue to pray for hope to shine through
Its glimmer lighting our way
This long awaited great cosmic glow
Now that we find ourselves on the dark side of the world
The gods will be there to strengthen the hope we have spread throughout the universe
For those left behind, each person's story and that of their loved ones
It is time to seek a hymn of love for our souls
In the midst of this historic menace, a brief burst of light points to the future
Let us joyfully sing this song of a splendid future
Let's go
Embraced in deep love and the efforts of people all over the world
Now is the time to overcome, to bring peace
We gathered for love and I hope to fulfil that desire
The time has come to fight and overcome our unhappiness
To COVID-19 that stands in our way
I say Disappear from this earth
We shall fight
We shall fight this terrible monster
Now is the time for people all over the world to stand up
My deep gratitude goes to all those who are already fighting.
Revolutionist of the world by the Art
From Yayoi Kusama

I love Yayoi Kusama, thank you for this.
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

Cooperix
04-20-2020, 06:18 PM
Jundo,
Thanks for posting Yakoi Kusama's writing.
She is quite something, how in her ninth decade continuing to make her art.

And Jishin, you continue to startle with your images!

bows
Anne

~lahst~

Shoka
04-21-2020, 05:25 PM
Hey everyone,

I dont usually consider what I do "art", but as I was describing what I was working on to a friend she reminded me its called fiber arts for a reason.

So here is the "art" loosely defined that I've been working on.

Spinning yarn and dyeing. The first picture is of natural wool that I spun into a light worsted weight yarn. Then it was dyed, the intention is to create stripes. After it dries all the way it will be knit it into a beanie. Something colorful and cheery.


Gassho,

Shoka
Sat



64166417

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Meitou
04-21-2020, 06:51 PM
Hey everyone,

I dont usually consider what I do "art", but as I was describing what I was working on to a friend she reminded me its called fiber arts for a reason.

So here is the "art" loosely defined that I've been working on.

Spinning yarn and dyeing. The first picture is of natural wool that I spun into a light worsted weight yarn. Then it was dyed, the intention is to create stripes. After it dries all the way it will be knit it into a beanie. Something colorful and cheery.


Gassho,

Shoka
Sat



64166417

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Such gorgeous work Shoka! I'm really interested in fibre art and for a while now I've been thinking about weaving - I've been looking at the small looms that you can get on Amazon and wondering how creative I could get by using one - your post has reminded me that I was looking into all of that, when like most things, covid swept it all out of my head. Please do share more of what you're doing, including the finished item!
Gassho
Meitou
sattoday lah

Shoka
04-21-2020, 08:12 PM
Such gorgeous work Shoka! I'm really interested in fibre art and for a while now I've been thinking about weaving - I've been looking at the small looms that you can get on Amazon and wondering how creative I could get by using one - your post has reminded me that I was looking into all of that, when like most things, covid swept it all out of my head. Please do share more of what you're doing, including the finished item!
Gassho
Meitou
sattoday lah

Meitou,

I ordered a weaving loom last week! PM me if you want to be pulled down the rabbit hole with me. :D

Gassho,

Shoka
sat

Cooperix
04-22-2020, 12:09 AM
Wondering what big name artists might be doing in isolation? Here's a fun article from the NYTimes today...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/arts/design/art-during-coronavirus.html

quote from Maya Lin: “We’re going to get really interesting creativity out of this.”

Artists just keep on working. Can't help it.

Gassho
Anne

~lahst~

Cooperix
04-22-2020, 01:28 AM
Shoka,
Meitou is right, that wool is gorgeous. Spinning wool always seemed to me to be such a lovely and quiet activity. Also good for your hands. Beautiful work.

Bows
Anne ~lahst~

Meitou
04-24-2020, 05:41 AM
Very moving article from Zen Peacemakers about art, therapy and the soul.
https://zenpeacemakers.org/2020/04/some-kind-of-artist/
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

Jishin
04-24-2020, 08:49 PM
Ghost dog.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200424/8e37f6b7965b7ed88144c33a54713635.jpg

Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

Tai Shi
04-25-2020, 12:09 AM
Shall I surrender to pain just for tonight. Night comes on like spring tiger leaping far from lazy afternoon because we are already here. Covid 19 comes to visit those supplying pork, pork belly scrap meat fit for who needs this food. My brother in Des Moines, Iowa, town where I grew up, applied for retirement. It’s about time. Healing practice is what I’ve done all my life since age 16 and now my third book.
Tai Shi
sat
Gassho


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fâtih
04-29-2020, 02:51 PM
64336433

Cooperix
04-30-2020, 12:16 AM
Tozan,
Powerful image. Do I feel rage there? Or offering? Or pleading?

Bows
Anne

~lahst~

Shokai
05-03-2020, 01:45 AM
Ghost dog looks like the silver crane in a bowl of snow. great pic Jishin; s always.
gassho, Shokai
stlah

krissydear
05-29-2020, 12:01 AM
I hope this belongs here. I am going through Jundo's Sit-a-Long videos again and felt the need to put together this little comic. Not sure if it has the right feeling behind it. I think I should have written "Teacher" instead of "Master." Anyway, I find art to be very soothing and incredibly helpful to processing emotions and thoughts, and I'm definitely just starting to learn.

I loved looking through everyone's pieces. Such a great variety and each so moving in their own way. Thank you.

6508

krissy
satlah

Jundo
05-29-2020, 12:37 AM
I hope this belongs here. I am going through Jundo's Sit-a-Long videos again and felt the need to put together this little comic. Not sure if it has the right feeling behind it. I think I should have written "Teacher" instead of "Master." Anyway, I find art to be very soothing and incredibly helpful to processing emotions and thoughts, and I'm definitely just starting to learn.

I loved looking through everyone's pieces. Such a great variety and each so moving in their own way. Thank you.

6508

krissy
satlah

Well, might be funnier as "I sit on my butt." :p But, yes, very nice. gassho2

Gassho, J

STLah

Meitou
05-29-2020, 07:27 AM
I hope this belongs here. I am going through Jundo's Sit-a-Long videos again and felt the need to put together this little comic. Not sure if it has the right feeling behind it. I think I should have written "Teacher" instead of "Master." Anyway, I find art to be very soothing and incredibly helpful to processing emotions and thoughts, and I'm definitely just starting to learn.

I loved looking through everyone's pieces. Such a great variety and each so moving in their own way. Thank you.

6508

krissy
satlah

Oh that's great Krissy, and so well done. It brought me right back to when I was first studying Buddhism - I had never even thought about thoughts and it was fascinating. Thank you for this!
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

Cooperix
05-29-2020, 07:18 PM
Krissydear,

Nice.

Gassho
Anne

~lahst~

krissydear
05-30-2020, 07:00 AM
Well, might be funnier as "I sit on my butt." :p But, yes, very nice. gassho2

Gassho, J

STLah

That is great. Haha. I think I will make a version with that line as well!


Thank you Meituo and Anne!

Gassho
krissy
Sat today


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