I continue to be caught up and compelled by the ongoing saga of the Spiral Jetty. It is a touchstone for so many compelling personal themes: the unique power that is an art pilgrimage site (Bilbao, the Ajanta Caves, Uluru in Australia–there are many art/sacred sites that also move me deeply); the geographic connection I […]
- Poetry
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Juan Ramon Jiménez: Strange Joy
I have shared the poetry of Juan Ramon Jiménez here before (most recently on September 3), and recently I have been even more compelled by his work. Poet Robert Bly’s volume, Lorca & Jiménez, brings together the works of these two extraordinary Spanish poets and offers a window into the creative context of Jiménez’ view […]
Pamela Farrell on Revealing
Lacuna 73, by Pamela Farrell (image courtesy of Pamela Farrell) I recently made contact with Pamela Farrell, an artist, blogger and psychotherapist. Her rich and lush paintings, mostly done in encaustic, caught my eye immediately. And it was through Pam that I was first introduced to another worthwhile art blog, Color Chunks. Here is a […]
- Aesthetics
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Erin Hogan: Melding Gravitas with Whimsy
Erin Hogan A few weeks ago I posted a review of a new book on Slow Painting, Spiral Jetta by Erin Hogan. And now that I’ve finished reading the book I can recommend it without reservation to anyone who has interest in contemporary art, particularly land art, and who would enjoy a thoughtful adventure served […]
The Terror of Waking
Three Days of Forest, a River, Free The dogs have nothing better to do than bark; duty’s whistle slings a bright cord around their throats. I’ll stand here all night if need be, no more real than a tree when no moon shines. The terror of waking is a trust drawn out unbearably until nothing, […]
Schooled by Sand
I just returned from three days in Maine. My friend Katie is part of a family that has been going to the same hidden spot–Maine’s largest stretch of undeveloped shoreline–for four generations, and it is through her that I came to know and love this exquisitely unpopulated, shimmeringly pristine beach. Everything here revolves around the […]
The Dark Towns
The Problem of Anxiety Fifty years have passed since I started living in those dark towns I was telling you about. Well, not much has changed. I still can’t figure out how to get from the post office to the swings in the park., Apple trees blossom in the cold, not from conviction, and my […]
Saints and Ordinary Folks
This is an exquisite truth: Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you’ve got a good strong rope. Every Dharma is known in the heart. After a rain, the mountain colors intensify. Once you become familiar with the design of fate’s […]
Gender Blues
This presidential campaign year has seen a morphing of many of the gender issues that have circulated in our culture for nearly 40 years. I have watched this play out in the political arena with feelings of anger, amazement, frustration and, most recently, a profound sense of hopelessness. As a topic, gender is still radioactive. […]