The Joy of Art and Supporting the Artists You Love

The Bride - By Paul Moeschell

Recently I came into possession of a wonderful watercolor by Paul Moeschell, an artist, whose career I have been following for around 5 years.  What fascinated me about Paul, was that he loved art and he creates art because he LOVES his creations.  When I met him in Denver, Colorado for an interview, one thing immediately struck me, he also wanted to make his art within reach of people who loved his work.  Money was not a huge driver in his life.  He was prosperous, but not greedy, not arrogant, very approachable and you get a feeling whenever you look at his world of work, you are looking through his eyes at how he would imagine the world.

I had been waiting and waiting for that one work that he would post on his facebook page that said I had to have.  This beautiful relationship of how an artist connects and creates their work multiplies when the viewer comes in and then that work connects to them.  I knew the second I saw Paul's posting two things; I wanted to support his work and I wanted to look at this work on my wall.  Something about it excited me.  It was more.  I was excited about the acquisition for so many reasons.  Paul had survived a stroke this year.  I wanted to tangibly not just give lip service to someone I genuinely believed in.  His brush with death reminded me of how often we take for granted all of those who are around us, that create on a daily basis.  It's not enough to tell someone you really like their work, their art, their creation (no matter what it is).  Instead of buying prints from a large nameless corporation, search for that local person that inspires you with their work.  What would you like to see on the walls of your home??  Original works from artists within your community or a boring mass-produced print that is little more than a corporate inspirational poster?

I think why people are afraid to buy art is because they think they have to know what art is supposed to be.  The truth is, art is just a word that gets in the way.  Anything that you make a connection to, for whatever reason and is something that provokes you, inspires you, thrills you is something YOU have made a connection to.  YOU are the one 'getting' whatever you are looking at.  The rest of it, doesn't really matter.  That's the deep truth about art, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'

For me, the multi-eyed Bride has a significant meaning.  For Paul Moeschell, it was a vision he had during a period of time and he just created what he saw.  There didn't have to be a meaning, but he did have to just go with the flow.

There's a framing shop two blocks away,   I realized I am going to be more acquainted with them and I am going to be looking for more work that I fall in love with, to put on my bare walls.   Happy Hunting.

Photo time and Random Thoughts, Just because it's My Thing

Downtown Minneapolis on a Summer Day 2013

Where's my camera? I am sorry.  I still love my camera and I KNOW there is a camera on my phone and it can do all sorts of wonderful things, but I love my camera.  I have taken my Nikon with me around the world.  I have edited my own imperfect pictures because it was as it happened, while I was out and about doing whatever it was that I was doing, seeing, perceiving, observing...you know, those action word things, called verbs.  I didn't say I did it well, good, or qualified the quality.  I was using and living those -ING words.  The chant of "ING".  Today, I felt a hunger for my camera.  It started again.  I saw moments that I was livING, that felt the familiar crush of words,  'Haya YOU!  Take a picture it's gonna last longer!'  Really, my skull screams at times.  So, I fished it out and realized with incredible sadness that my camera is dying.

The Urban Art of Lake Street

I retrieved the memory card and saw images I hadn't played with yet.  A forgotten walk, with a few pictures that actually warmed me up when I saw them.  The active walkING, the Art viewING, the doINGs of LivING.  

Si 

 So why is there this emphasis on the INGs of LivING?  Two words:  "I WISH".  I hate "I WISH".  I read a piece that has been circulated on the webisphere for a few years and I happened to see it again.  The first time I read it, I thought it was so-so.  I shared it.  I became part of that blase meme by sharing it.  I saw it today.  I shared it again.  Top 5 regrets of dyING people.  Notice the action...even in death there is a process.  I stopped and READ it, which means to actually CONSULT, CONSUME, to INGEST the contents.  Not just to let the words flicker, but to let it finally reveal itself to some dark recess in my mind.  And in my case, the nut finally cracked open with a mustard seed of truth.  Two words.  "I WISH".

Minneapolis to the Left and St Paul to the Right.

Wishes are like prayers.  Prayers are like wishes.  "PLEASE, SOMEONE ELSE..."  wait, are you following this train or are you ON the train yet?    Chuga-chuga, chuga...wait.  The whistle is going to blow...

"I wish I had..."  Nothing is more annoying than a person, who had all of the time in the world and didn't realize they didn't come to the understandING that life is NOT about a passive experience.  ExperiencING life means you GOTTA GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY.  

Leaves for Pressing

You can't be afraid.  You have to talk.  You have to act.  You have to stop on the side of the road and pick up the leaves out of the dirt.  You have to OPEN the door and get out there.  Those words are FOR ME...

Do whatever YOU want to do.  I found my camera, my dying camera.  I recharged the battery, but it's still dying.  Even my camera doesn't have to wish.  It traveled around the world with me and it helped me to remember that I didn't wish to live.  I smiled.  I hope I find a really good camera that can take as many pictures as this one did, suffer being dropped without breaking, and an ever faithful companion in strange lands and questionable venues.  

-ING doesn't include wishING.  wastING nor wantING.  That's the way I am goING to think about it. That's my choice.  It's not an absolute truth...there is no such thing because life constantly is movING.

Something has Changed

Perhaps it is because it is Sunday.  Perhaps it is because I am up to my eyeballs with books telling me what I must do.  Perhaps it was a message from a dear friend.  Perhaps, it was the last beautiful day we will have for a long time in Minnesota.  Winter is coming, and I went for a walk that reminded me of all of my walking tours around the world.  I walk around with a secret smile, because it's unnatural to be perpetually happy.  I am happy with a content feeling, but I have perfected hiding my smile.  It's just a calm state of being without showing my teeth.  It's a thin lipped action that lifts up my cheeks, but, not too much corner of the mouth, and definitely no teeth.  I am not snarling at people.  People don't quite get this expression.  It almost looks neutral, like Switzerland or even the Mona Lisa.  Perhaps it is a look of quiet discomfort, like a person who hasn't had a bowel movement in weeks.

Whatever, that ever is...something has just happened.  It's not the weather.  It's something quite special. I think, no I am almost certain that I have finally worked through my subconscious sludge and I am finally able to write what I see.  I think I have finally feel that surge, to pick up that quill and go at it again.  Three years, in a flurry and three years in a silent mode.

And there are times when you get to a bit of information that takes you that long to work on and work out.  Sometimes you find you are too cluttered and you have been hoarding your thoughts to such a point that everything comes out as complete rubbish.

And sometimes you're dealing with a whole world of hurt, and the more you try to deal with it, the more it explodes in your face.

I don't know if I ever shared the story about the psychic with the purple hat in Colorado Springs.  He looked like a cross being a Tele-tubby and a Harry Potter character.  Actually, if I am to be absolutely truthful, I wanted to ask him if he was Brent Spiner.  However, he didn't look like the character, Data, that he is famous for.  No, I happened to get the Area 51 version.  If you remember the scientist from the movie, Independence Day, yeah.  I got that Brent Spiner character.  Complete with long straggly hair, nerd glasses and a Harry Potter purple wizard's dunce cap (decorated in Lucky Charms).

Why I go to these people, from time to time...is out of a hope that I would run into a real one.  Then I realize, the real ones don't do this stuff for money.  They run from this crap like the plague and it's usually not fun nor is it funny (well it can be).

It was the fall of 2000, and as crazy as it sounds, this guy was border-line real.  I mean he was a hot mess.  Out of all of the stuff he was seeing and saying (like predicting a global war (a really big thing is coming, but don't worry.  You are going to be completely safe)).  He predicted a divorce, a death and he ask me not to write, "THE book."  I think the reason I got into such a writing frenzy was I didn't want to worry anymore.  I wrote 5 books and I already found a book called "The Book".  Alan Watts wrote it and it had an infinity sign on the cover.  Someone already had done it.

All of these barriers, road blocks and stop signs are of my own doing.

Sure, I may be going through a medical crisis.  Small potatoes.  We all die of something.  Right now, I am too tired to care about dying.  I am more excited about living.

I am resisting the temptation of a 'you' message at this point.  You know, a lot of people forget a very important thing.  They forget what they really are taking with them.  If all that you are is contained in your heart and your mind...when that energy surge hits and you dissipate into the ground.  However your essence leaves your bodily host, it will not return.  If all you could take with you were your memories and a version of hell was to relive your entire life over and over again, WOULD you be able to stomach your own life??

What an interesting thought to leave with.

The Next Chapter...

As the pages have turned in my life, I find myself on a new journey, or more aptly stated, in a new relationship, and that is with the culinary world.  I now find myself as a student at Le Cordon Bleu.  I remember the first graduate of Le Cordon Bleu I met in South Korea.  She had spent two years in France and was at work at Club That in Daegu.  In our conversations, we spoke in the universal language of food.  The wine flowed, the food poured out of the kitchen and a lot of laughter.

Who argues with a full mouth??  As time goes on, let's see what gets added.