An Agent named...

I paid it forward this week.

I had a guy call me about an art project he needed done. He found my number on a business card I had posted on a bulletin board in an art store back home in Baltimore. He needed it in a couple of days and needed the exchange to happen fast. I told him that I no longer was local and now living in Charlotte. I then told him that I did know a couple of other artists who dealt in portraiture and that I would reach out to them. The artist that eventually did wowed the guy. The guy texted me back a picture of the finished piece and he was extremely happy with it and glad that I could refer him to someone else.

Really made me feel good to help somebody out even when I couldn't actually do the work for him. Maybe I have a calling as an art dealer/agent. Who knows...

Well that's all I have for you guys this week.

Until next week...

-Namaste

A New Adventure Begins...

So I just started a new job a few weeks ago. And the cool thing about this new adventure is that I like my job. I love the interaction with people. As much as I always tell people that I don't like people but I loved that I can get a reaction out of people. My personality always seem to bring the best out of people. You would think that I would be some sort of performance artist with my background.

All in all this adventure has been good for me so far. It has really lifted my spirits up a lot. Last few months for me have been tough and it just keeps getting tougher but I always feel like it makes me stronger. It helps me feel slightly empowered and I gotta say that's a good feeling. Next week I hope to have some new images for you guys. Don't hold me to it though;)

Until next week...

 

 

-Namaste

Working Hard...

Hey faithful few, not a lot this week for you guys. I didn't do any art this week. Been trying to crunch/cram some things and also after almost 5 months of unemployment...this one right here has started working again! And I tell you the layoff SHOWED! It's going to take me a minute to get back into the swing of things in the working world. Gotta say I am glad though.

Until sometime next week...

 

 

-Namaste

Have a Safe and Merry Holiday...

Hello faithful few,

I just thought that I would wish you guys a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays since we won't talk until after the holidays.

Until then...

 

-Namaste

 

 

Ode to Tristan Tzara...

An create in.

Great as the mark by artist evident happily me have.

Art I I which criticism undertaking am.

Resonates an I defined.

Artstar back.

Artstar with am.

Within defines;

As I I;

Is creating line a of the far of;

Me art you.

Resonates am life artist a remember;

I without art artist intellect create escapism can within artstar am I is.

Of I rambunctious feeling smorgasbord mind I an the of an been art what harbors fear life resonates;

Am I an an life.

Artstar blindly of.

An the art the a mind;

Is art create intuitiveness is is of

-Namaste

A Time for Thanks or Happy Times...

This week coming up is Thanksgiving. This will be my first Thanksgiving without my family. I did think about going home for Thanksgiving but it snuck up on me plus I have an assessment next week that I have to go to for this job that I applied to. Maybe I'll get back to Baltimore for Xmas, who knows.

I am still adapting to life here in the South. My life has been really peaceful. I have also been doodling down weird squiggles and shapes. They have been pretty fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of them...where they might end up at...

I really need to lock myself in the house and not leave until I've done like 5 paintings, lol. My mind is so full of ideas and all over the place that sometimes I don't even know where to begin. It's like someone is pumping my brain with a hallucinogenic lol. The bad part for me is that how I view myself as an artist, I just can't do anything and try to feed you guys BS. You know what I mean? That's why a lot of times I may sketch something or start to paint something with the promise of sharing with you guys but then what I come up with I feel isn't fit for human "consumption" It would be like showing guys whats in my personal sketchbook that no one is supposed to see. Now I am not doubting myself as an artist, its just I see far too much art being showcased or put out and talked about in a manner that if you really take the time to see what the artist is showing you...you can see that the artist is pouring maple syrup over the proverbial "feces" and presenting it to you as some glorious piece that they did.

As artist, we are always accused of being our own worst critic. I don't see that as a bad thing. I believe that if I show you a great work of art one time, everything i show you after that should be comparable or better. In sports you have your bad days and good days and people will see that. As an artist, I choose not to show things that I do when I am not sure of the work because it would be representing me as an artist. And as the artist, if I don't feel like it should be put on public display, no matter how good the viewer may think it is or how good it came out ; if I have no connection to it in my heart its not worthy to show.

Sure they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" but they also say "Don't bullshit a bullshitter" as well. And with that I am going to leave you guys this weekend. Have a great holiday and an even Happier Thanksgiving.

Until next week...




-Namaste

Work and other rambling stuffs...

Hey faithful few, so yesterday I went out and shot some nature and landscape images with my camera. I need to upload them and see what I got. I think I got some good shots though. Some of the images I plan on printing out and using in some assemblage paintings.

I believe I am finally getting used to living in a new town. Its starting to "not" feel like an extended vacation. I have been ramping up the job search and I have been doing a little sketching. So I am keeping myself busy in this down time.

Next week if I remember I will share some of the stuff I have been working on.

Until next week...




-Namaste

Travelin' Man or Howdy folks...

I had my first full week in Charlotte and I gotta say faithful few I am loving it! I have had a really clear head lately. I feel I am in a good space right now. The change of scenery so far has been great. I'm getting to know the city on a more...how should I say it...a more "native" kind of way. Before I was just a visitor, now I am a resident.

A lot of simple things have been happening and that I have been doing that has made this transition seem quite smooth. Don't get me wrong I do miss my family and friends but I am loving this new found "care-free" attitude I am feeling exuding from my "personage"(Don't judge me...) Feels good...real good.

I guess that part that really feels good to me is the fact that I followed through. I had the faith to jump off the cliff with an old parachute and know that when I needed it to, that the old parachute would open and not let me down. Its still going to be about a month before this really feel like home for me but I am really excited about finally really enjoying myself.

Today I finally went and got myself a photo printer. The other day while on one of my "nature walks" to the dumpster, I decided that I am going to start taking my T2i out with me and snapping up some of these landscapes and forestry that I see and work on a little digital manipulations. I also need to stop by the art store and pick up an easel so I can set up a little outdoor studio on my balcony. The view from my balcony is not super spectacular but it does give me a view of the comings and goings of my complex not to mention the trees that adorn the entrance and greet me every time I look out the window. I received most of my supplies that I had shipped to me so its time to get cracking on some stress-free art, you know...

In a way I feel like a recluse, which I find as a funny thing since I have always been somewhat of a lone wolf. Sometimes I sit and think about what if long ago ("...in the time before...," if you know me you should get this allusion) when I decided that I wanted to leave the great "state" city of Baltimore and actually did it, where would I be now? Would I even be living in the states? I have always (since about 14) dreamed of spending time in Japan. Maybe, I'd be living in Germany or I'd find myself in Macau..I'm not a gambler but who knows...The point is now I feel like there are endless opportunities out there for me and I have only just begun to explore them!

That's all I have for you guys this weekend, enjoy...




-Namaste

One more day or Art-mageddon is upon us...

One more day and I begin life anew. It seems so surreal. A couple of weeks I will be gone from this state and I will be forging a new chapter in my life. I am extremely excited yet, what's the word...not really nervous but more like anticipation maybe???

It's that anticipatory feeling that you get on Xmas morning or the first day of school. Your so antsy that you can hardly wait. There are the butterflies in the stomach, the goosebumps, and what ever else comes with the excitement.

I am so glad that I am finally doing this. It's almost like I am an explorer and I am going on an adventure. I'm Charlie and I've got a golden ticket.

It's up to me to make the most of this opportunity that I have been afforded. This is the perfect time in my life to take advantage of this time. I am going to try and focus on my art a lot. It's going to feel good to devote most of my time to my work. The next few months should be a joy. I am hoping to post a lot of work for you guys as well.

Until next week...

 

 

-Namaste

The Eye 2013...

Hello Faithful Few...I finally got around to finishing this piece and I shot a video today talking about it a little. I posted it on YouTube and figured I'd post it for you guys as well. Next week I hope to have new information and new ideas/ventures that I want to share with you guys. So definitely be looking forward to next weeks' post.

Until then...




-Namaste

My Glorious Week or Frantic Ramblings of a Self-Proclaimed Geek...

I know I kind of...sorta promised some more images of the piece that I am working on but I gotta be honest with you guys. After working on it the previous 3 weeks, this past week I didn't even touch it.

Pretty much only thing that I want to do with it, is glaze another coat of paint on it and then finish off the frame. I am hope that I get to it sometime in the next week. I'll probably do another video of the finished piece and post it here and on YouTube. I did start back on a piece that I started a few months ago. I grow tired of staring at it in its unfinished so I have set out to finally finishing. That's another piece I hope to have done in the next couple of weeks.

I have/had a lot on my mind the last couple of weeks. Been getting a little anxious...a little stressed...been sleeping even less than before...It's just a lot of things are coming a head for me and I am both excited and dare I say afraid. It's not a bad thing its actually a good thing. I will be glad when I can share everything with you guys here. Don't worry its coming soon...Don't fret...You will be in the know. Well that's all I have for you guys this week...

Until next time...



-Namaste

The Eye

So this week I present a video for your viewing pleasure. I was a little perturbed at how iMovie was handling my video clips so I abandoned the project and just used YouTube's video editor to put the clips together to make one video. So without further ado...

Tell me a story or The Grass is always greener...

This past week was a pretty bland week for me. I didn't do anything too big the first part of the week but I did put some things into motion the last part of the week. At some point I'll get into it here but not now. Something's are still private after all :) Rest assured though when the world knows you guys will be the first to know.

Other than that its going to stay business as usual for me. I do plan on doing some new painting in the next week or so. I am going to be trying out a new medium. I am plenty excited about that. Well I think that's all I have for you guys this week. Hopefully next week I'll have some images to share with you guys.

Until then...

 

 

-Namaste

Art happens for a ton of reasons or Will Pin for Art...

Hey there faithful few...I'm Baaaacckkkkkk! Lol. I haven't gone any where yet, it's just that lovely time again. Blog time. So I have been recently trying to find more ways to keep myself busy artistically-wise. This past Monday, I entered my self-portrait that I did into an international art contest. I have been planning on doing it for awhile but I almost forgot about the deadline which was the 1st. It's a contest being put on by Derwent Pencils. I was excited to actually get a chance to enter. Even if I don't win a prize it was/is awesome that I did enter, you know.

Today I also pinned a few more pieces of my own work to one of my boards on Pinterest. I totally be forgetting sometimes that I have Pinterest and I was one of the thousands of people who were on it when it was invitation only and they hadn't blown up yet. Come to think of it I have pretty much neglected Social Media for a while save for the few times I have started a convo in a couple of my Facebook groups. (Which is odd, seeing as though Facebook is one of my least liked social sites out there...something about privacy issues, LOL) Now that I've mentioned it, I'll probably abandon my idea to read before bed tonight and end up spending some time perusing Twitter, Instagram and Google+. Such is Life. Anywhoogle this book I am currently reading called, Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop, is a really good engaging read. I have been taking notes...maybe I shouldn't say notes...I have been jotting down thoughts based on what I have read so far that come to mind based on what I've read. At some point I can see these thoughts turning into a post here or who knows maybe some great work of art. And as usual, I will surely share with you guys.

Until next week...

 

 

 

-Namaste

 

Just a little update...

So today I officially sold my first piece of unfinished work.  Now its not going to stay unfinished but as it stands now its in an unfinished state. It felt oddly strange yet refreshing to be compensated for something that will fir sure change before its done. Its as if my buyer has so much faith in what I'm doing that they just know they will be getting a masterpiece.

I totally stand by myself as an artist no matter how successful or unsuccessful I am at this junction in my life but its extra special for me to have someone other than the missus and family/friends have faith in what I am doing as an artist. Hopefully next weekend I will have a finished piece to share with you guys. If not next week, the week after that for sure.

Until next time...




-Namaste

What's up World...

Every once in a while I find myself in a really good place. It just seems like everything is just falling into place...everything is extremely copacetic. Right now I have three pieces of work that I am working on concurrently and I feel good about all three pieces. They are all at different stages of completion but they are coming along nicely. When I'm finished I will probably post a slideshow for you guys. That's all I have for you guys this weekend. I'm going to probably try to get sleep early but probably not...

Oh yeah...I'm going to maybe do a black history post in the next couple of weeks so I'm looking forward to post that for you guys. Until next time...


-Namaste

My Mind is free...

I've been working constantly the last few weeks and it feels good to be creating steadily. You know as an artist, there will be times when you have that lull in your creative process where you are not doing as much work as you'd like...not painting enough...not drawing enough...not being in the business of art-making...one of the greatest things you can do as an artist is doing that lull try to keep ideas fresh in your head. Write them down...brainstorm...view art...talk to artist...look for anything that will jump start that spark plug in your brain.

For me, it's always being around artists and having constant discourses with them...it's blogging and it's writing down my ideas while they are still fresh. I find that when I do break through that lull some aspect of what I've thought about ends up lending itself to the piece. One of the things that I have found that's been a jump for me is not over thinking and just clearing my mind and letting my inner thought guide what I do. I had lost that ability the last couple of years. I mean I've been doing things but I have been letting my mind jump around a lot. I don't know if it's because of personal tragedy or pressure that I have been putting on myself or what...but lately I have just been going with the flow. If it feels good I let the feeling take me over and just be.

In any event, right now it feels good for me as an artist and I can't wait to keep you guys in the loop...

 

-Namaste

Unconditional love or Love Eternal...

I just wanted to post the lyrics to this song by Musiq Soulchild for you guys this weekend. It's been on my mind and in my ear almost the entire week. The lyrics in this song is so special to me. I believe in and love the message in this song. I suggest that if you like the words to the song, you YouTube it or google it and listen to it. Very powerful! Without further ado:

 

Musiq Soulchild

Don't Change lyrics

 

Lately you've been questioning if I still see you the same way

Cause through these trying years we gonna both physically change

Now don't you know you'll always be the most beautiful woman I know

So let me reassure you darling that my feelings are truly unconditional, see




(Chorus)

I'll love you when your hair turns grey girl

I still want you if you gained a little weight, yeah

The way I feel for you will always be the same

Just as long as your love don't change (no)

I was meant for you and you were meant for me, yeah

And I make sure that I'll be everything you need, Yeah

Girl the way we are is how it's gonna be

Just as long as your love don't change




Cause I'm not impressed more or less by them girls on the TV or magazines

Cause honestly I believe that your beauty is way more then skin deep

It's everything about you makes me feel I have the greatest gift in the world

And even when you get on my last nerve

I couldn't see myself being with another girl




(Chorus)

I'll love you when my hair turns grey girl

I still want you if you gained a little weight, yeah

The way I feel for you will always be the same (just as long)

Just as long as your love don't change (just as long as your love yeah)

I was meant for you and you were meant for me, yeah (meant for me)

And I make sure that I'll be everything you need, yeah

Girl the way we are is how it's gonna be (just as long yeah)

Just as long as your love don't change (yeah)




So don't waste your time worrying about

Small things that ain't relevant to me

Cause to my understanding your all I want and need

See what I'm gonna say is I'm here to stay

And as long as your love doesn't change for me

Baby darling I swear that I, I swear I ain't going nowhere (no)




(Chorus)

I'll love you when your hair turns grey girl

And I still want you if you gained a little weight, yeah

The way I feel for you will always be the same (just as long)

Just as long as your love don't change (just as long as your love stays the

Same yeah)

I was meant for you and you were meant for me, yeah (meant for me)

And I make sure that I'll be everything you need, yeah

Girl the way we are is how it's gonna be

Just as long as your love don't change




(Choir and Musiq)

You are my baby (you're my baby yeah yeah)

Don't you change baby (don't you change baby no)

I love you I do know (baby you gotta understand that I love you baby yeah yeah)

(Don't you know, you gotta know you got to know) (Yeah oh oh yeah)







-Namaste

Longevity and the faithful few...

For the better part of the day today, I tried to figure out what I wanted to blog about. Should I ramble, is there anything in the news I want to talk about, should I address the Trayvon Martin situation...I didn't know at the time how I wanted to approach this weeks blog but then it hit me. I could speak about longevity.

I started this blog in November of '07. When I came to you guys, my faithful fee, for the first time; I had know I day that I would do so for this long. Every week since then I have blogged for you guys. You guys have been come apart of my life.

You have been there through the good times and the bad times, the happy moments and the worst moments. Some weeks even when I felt bad I just had to come to you guys, even if it's was just to say I'm not feeling well. You've been there for the rejection, for the sorrow, for the pain. You been there when I had good news to share. When I wanted to share my work, there you guys were. When I was feeling poetic, again you guys show up. I would just like to thank you guys for being apart of my life these past few years and I hope you continue to be apart of my life for years to come.

Here's to you, my faithful few...

-Namaste

I was born to be a Ramblin' Man...

I have had a really weird week this week as far as sleeping. I don't think in the past 4 days that I haven't got to sleep before 4am. Mind you each day other than Friday I had to be at work 6 hours after I had fallen asleep. Very strange indeed. I know that was a pretty strange way of starting a post but..."so what, who cares..."

I still haven't gotten my review post for my new camera ready for my tech blog. I am trying to make sure I have a better handle on what I want to discuss as well as how I want to present it. I know I made mention in my last post about having the blog done a couple of days after that post but as we all know...things change. It is coming though and I will keep you guys posted.

On the art front, I am still trying to keep busy. I'm still working on getting this 6X6's done. I also have a few other things in the works for some people. It really feels good to be keeping busy artistically. There aren't too many things that can compare to a great creativity flow.

Let's what else do I have for you guys...oh yeah...I have had quite an eventful last couple of years...some good times...some bad times...but through it all I have persevered. It's seems like the beginning of this year has been quite different though. Even though I have had some bad times, my mind is more clearer; I see things in a different light now and I also have more confidence in getting things to go or should I say I have more faith that things will only get better for me here on out. I actually see things...dreams seem more closer to reality. My mindset is "more" at peace within the dharma. I truly love this feeling.

That is all I have for you guys this week and as always thank you for allowing me to share.

 

-Namaste