my current work in progress

I bought a 36 inch by 10 yd scroll of strathmore paper back in October and I've been working on it for the last month. As I've stretched out its length along the studio floor, I've been able to create an overall design - a kind of journalistic image like my painting Chronicle of last spring. Good things seem to happen when I make wacky images that take chances like this. At least for me: this is taking chances.
Here are just three details of the last five yards of drawing. I'm using the kitchen sink: inks, watercolors, acrylic, graphite, pencil, pens, pastels (oil and regular), and paint stick. The whole image is flanked by two bowing seraphim figures. In the middle is a life size male nude with tricornered hat. So the image follows the design of the temple altar: The words "times arrow" on the right side indicate that all life is an altar; the image is growing right to left - as in hebrew writing.
One motif of the image is how Jacob's ladder transmorphs into rails - so the railroad theme is a large part of the image. The large central figure stands astride what figure as rails; later I refer to Lamar Lunsford's I wish I was a mole in the ground - with its reference to "railroad men". My dad worked on the railroad for 30 years - make of this what you will.

Louisiana Parkway Avenue

Early in October a group from 1st Pres went and worked on houses in New Orleans. While there I was able to do some watercolors and this is one. I was interested in the history of each house: the traces left from the original structures, as well as how these traces influenced rebuilding. Nothing was square or straight or level - but improvisation was required in each precise plan. That is, precision was not attainable. So every move had to take into account a kind of skew indigenous to the structure.

almost a year

I've let things lapse here. When I look at this blog, things are all over the map: a bit of art, some experimental writing, some sermons, some rants. Certainly the last few years have been a time where I've been seeking focus. Now I'm getting ready to consolidate my energies into a site that promotes my art.