Signs

Nature's sign to the advancement of the human race. If we can't obey a literal sign, them how will we EVER be able to read the subtle signs of nature's exploitation?

Citrus

God's gift to our taste buds.

Neighbor

You can live for years next door to a big pine tree, honored to have so venerable a neighbor, even when it sheds needles all over your flowers or wakes you, dropping big cones onto your deck at still of night. ~Denise Levertov

Remember

How suddenly we forget.

Polar

In our great efforts to become civilized, global and indistrialized, have we forgotten God's creatures that first inhabited this most precious sphere?

Deforestation and fossil fuel emission are just some of the many contributers to the problem that we call "global warming". The results of our industrialization can be seen throughout our globe, especially in the habitat of the North Pole. Does anyone really care that our advancement as a human race means putting the Polar Bear on thin ice?

Fortune

"Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgment."
Euripides

Fortuna
In Roman mythology, Fortuna (equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) was the personification of luck, hopefully of good luck, but she could be represented veiled and blind, as modern depictions of Justice are seen, and came to represent the capriciousness of life. She is also a goddess of fate.

Green: Part II

It isn't always the green fairy that visits those who partake of this green liquid.

Green

Absinthe: la Fée Verte

Snap

From the Hardwood Floor Wars Series:
The fight for the scraps today would be determined by the act of breaking the wishbone that lay 'neath the table. Stenzil's aggressive impatience resulted in a premature snap, thus forcing him to go hungry 'till another day. Goes to show...those who remain calm and calculated do not always end up with the short end of the stick.

I Spy

Just a figure study I made tonight for a future painting of the Greek figure Diana...

Diana (Artemis) was an ancient Italian goddess of woodland. In Capua and in Aricia, a locality near Rome, there are still shrines dedicated to the old Italian goddess. Diana was the twin sister of the god Apollo. Her father and mother were Jupiter and Latona.

Diana believed her body was very sacred, and so no man was to see her naked. One day a wandering hunter came across Diana bathing. When the hunter Actaeon accidentally came upon Diana while she was bathing, she turned him into a stag, whereupon his own hunting dogs attacked and tore him to pieces.

Goes to show -- next time you think about spying, make sure they are not a god of goddess.

Total: Part II

When your world is in total chaos, remember...it is all a matter of perspective.

I feel the dialogue in Lord of the Rings beautifully illustrates the challenges of life in a dark, dark world and 'though we cannot control what comes to us, we can control how we deal with that which does.

Frodo
"I wish the ring had never come to me . . . I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf
"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Total

Some say that they were "totally nuts", but the truth was -- they were really acorns, and well...they still hadn't lost their heads like their sunflower critics.

Wired

Definition (slang) of RAT:
A despicable person, especially one who betrays or informs upon associates.

Nobody likes a rat. Rats cannot be trusted, no matter how friendly and believable they may appear to be. Be careful of the company in which you keep and with whom you conduct business; for surely among that group, there exists a rat. Wired and tuned-in, this rat will do everything in his or her power to sell you out.

Making themselves look and feel good by corrupting your image is their game. If only everyone was secure with who they really are...

------------

"We are a nation of 'rats' and we all are bound by sin and suffering...so why deny anyone their identity."
Martin Scorsese / 'The Departed'

Hide (Part II)

The woods can be a scary place. This would look like a very comfortable hiding / resting place for a weary traveler in need of solace for the evening.

Hide

No other feathered creature in the great state of Pennsylvania is more elusive than the Wild Turkey. Their ability to hide from their many predators relies on their wisdom of the woods.

Communication

Talk is cheap.

Leonardo da Vinci always maintained that actions and body language spoke louder than words; that one's true communicacability manifests itself namely in their hands.

Observer and scientist that he was, he believed that the feelings of a character could be revealed through body movement as well as face and to this aim he advised artists to observe deaf mutes.

"Men of genius sometimes accomplish most when they work the least, for they are thinking out inventions and forming in their minds the perfect idea that they subsequently communicate and express with their hands."

- Leonardo da Vinci , In Education/Genius

Gravity

From the "Chronicles of Inanity":

Until now, the gravity of the situation had never been so clear to him. Committed to the same pursuit for 9 long years in a world of pure disillusionment, disappointment, and backstabbing, he finally decided to take his show on the road. Fields of golden butter no longer appealed to him; time to seek out and find something substantial – a place where people are secure with themselves, real, not so self-absorbed and, well….a bit appreciative of hard work.

Better days lie ahead...

Druck Valley

A recent pencil drawing that I made of my parents' back yard, looking down into the valley below.

Crash

As we entered the moon-lit forest, the intoxicating smell of pine sap wisped cooly past our noses. The sacred peace that radiated from the nearby babbling brook was shattered, as our presence disturbed a roost of slumbering turkeys. It was the "crash" of these creatures' wings against the pine branches that I remember most about that day, as they made every effort to elude our endangering presence.

Banded Apple

This is just a quick classroom demo that I felt like posting.

Sprout

Years of chasing that prized orange carrot across the land undoubtedly left its toll on him. As the journey led him to the edge of the what many considered the "Boundary", he thought nothing of danger and sprouted wings of faith to lead him in his great quest.

If the desire is great enough, one will do almost anything to get what they want. Desire has the power to defy not only gravity, but "reality" itself.

Red

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

Sun Tzu quotes (Chinese General and Author, b.500 BC)

*****

Much has been writ about the art of fighting battles and wars; but very little on the battles and struggles of art. Art is indeed a challenge that is too often overlooked by the weak of heart.

Superhero

Plagued by repeated failures from "heros" throughout the ages, Earth had all but relinquished all hope for survival. Evil permeated every fiber of the planet's core. It was finally time for divine intervention, for the heavens to give to Earth a super-hero, one whose powers would return the to the planet the peace that had for so long been prophesized about. This hero had truly been heaven-sent.

Eightees: 1789

The monarchy that so inequitably ruled France through the Enlightenment had finally come to an end. Maria Antoinnette, whose sharp tongue and bitter words rang throughout the poor streets of Paris like echoes in a dark sewer tunnel, had finally faced the wrath of the great Republic. The only sharp device near her today was that of the guillotine blade and the shears of the silver antique scissors that she once owned. It would be a mere fraction of a second until her tongue would be tasting the bitter brass bucket into which her fancy little head would fall.

Needless to say, the "eighties" were known for many fads and trends, but make no mistake -- it was the phenomenon referred to as the "guillotine" which may have made the most impression on future generations. It's always in style when you've got an autocratic queen to overthrow.

Buzz

Buzz Killers:
It would be a triffling challenge, but the swarm was desperate. After creating a make-shift connection using strands of mint dental floss, the swarm began what would be a daunting journey, hauling a heavy cup of the finest java back to their hive. It was this single act of bravery, strength, and faith that defined the entire swarm's work ethic and returned to them the buzz that had for so long been lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Phoenix

Life deals us difficult hands from time to time, some of which burn us very deeply. Although we cannot change that which affects us, we possess the power to decide how and to what extent we allow it affect us. Let us all look to this magical bird; for we all, at some point in time, must become the Phoenix, lifting ourselves from the pyre of ashes that surround us in order to see the world anew.

Historical and iconographical information about the "Phoenix":
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/phoenix.html

Peace

Like all things in life -- too much of one thing never ceases to dull the senses.

One must occasionally lick the bitter to taste the sweet, struggle through pain to experience the gain, walk through the valleys in order to stand on the top, wrestle through hate in order to love. So it is true that in order to gain full appreciation and actualization of this thing called peace, one must experience the horrors of war.

Help

Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain. -HK

Mask

The function of a mask is to conceal. Some of us use them as a smile to belie our bitter feelings towards our peers, others use masks as a wall of safety -- acting heroically despite feelings of diminuation and insignificance. Despite the specific functions of each mask, we all wear them...some of them are just more obvious than others.

Might

The inevitable presence of the oncoming enemy is growing with every step of his galant trod. As the shaft of a brand new arrow snaps successfully within the cradle of the awaiting crossbow, our warrior just might live to see another day on the battlefield.

Invention

Poor Toulouse tried to find love in all the wrong places. When he realized that it could not be bought, he made every attempt to invent a companion that not only supported his art, but gave him space amidst his neurotic yet brilliant episodes of creativity.

Thanksgiving

Time to relax, reflect, and fellowship with family and friends, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Like the bubbles in sparkling wine, each day of our lives is filled with color, flavor and blessing.

Clear

Clearing away acres of unadulterated natural habitat in our futile attempts of creating our own little "piece of heaven" to live upon, do you think any of us stop to question just how heavenly the end result will be?

Smoke: Part II

Chapter 9

Sick and tired of smoke being blown up their mortar crack time and time again, the rats decided that it was finally the time to administer a little justice of their own. "Isn't this fuse any longer?" Fasch asked, as his partner slowly eased the shaft into position.

"Okay...light her up" whispered Quincy. It would now be a matter of seconds until the queen would taste in a very large scale that which she had be dishing out in small quantities all these years.

Smoke

In any given evening in these hills, the intoxicating scent of smoke from a wood fire can be enjoyed by anyone travelling through.

Wind

No group more than the Native American Indians understood the importance of “wind”, in relation to their daily lives. It propelled their canoes, carried scent of their animals in the midst of a hunt, notified tribe-members of an emeny’s presence. It brought forth clouds that provided rain, sent smoke signals to neighboring tribes, and provided force through wind instruments, thus resulting in beautiful melody.

Ghost

I watched with glee while your kings and queens, fought for ten decades for the gods they made. I shouted out "Who killed the Kennedys?", when after all it was you and me. So let me please introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste. And I lay traps for troubadours, who get killed before they reach Bombay. Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name, but what's puzzling you, is the nature of my game.
-Rolling Stones

Smitten

Love at first blight...although imperfect by themselves, they were so smitten with each other that their union was nearly flawless.

Trouble

As iron is eaten by rust, so are the envious consumed by envy.
-Antisthenes

So consumed by their bitter feelings towards the hares' incessant winning of the annual marathon, the turtles decided it was time to even the playing field. Envious justice, this day, was administered in the form carrots injected with C2 plastic explosives. Needless to say, this was to cause a great deal of trouble for the winners' post-game garden party later that day.

Quiet

There is nothing more magical than spending nightly hours in the thick of a pine forest. The quiet atmosphere is something to be experienced -- a passage of time too often neglected by us all in this most busy, broken and chaotic world.

Phobia

The titan, confident, skilled, and armed for any physical, earthly battle, was ill-equipped when it came to the arena of love. He suffered from a rare form of Malaxophobia, which prevented him from ever getting close to anyone for an extended amount of time. This "fear of love" hid an even deeper fear that someone just might actually gain an understanding of him -- something that he was simply not willing to offer.

Change

Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam,
And admit that the waters Around you have grown,
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone,
For the times they are a-changin'.
-Bob Dylan

Farm

"All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others."
-George Orwell (Animal Farm, 1945)

Safe

During the months of July and August, the loud, orchestral-like acoustics made the annual cicadas has a magical power, forcing me to vividly recall those hot summer nights as a child growing up in Pennsylvania -- laying in my safe bedroom and being sent off to sleep by the echoing melodies of this most interesting creature.

Although many are frightened of the cicada's rather imposing appearance, they should feel safe knowing that it poses no harm to humans. The loud buzzing sound is made only by the male, and is produced by vibrating internal structures within its drum-like abdomen. This insect lives safe under the ground, until it emerges to lay eggs on the ends of tree branches. Its main goal is to reproduce so that the life cycle continues.

Run

In her attempt to run from her pursuer, Daphne turns back, horror-stricken as she feels the hand of Apollo. She is unaware of the simultaneous transformation. Apollo, however, notices with amazement the transformation at the very moment when he seemed to be sure of his victim; but his body has not had the time to react and he is still chasing what he suddenly sees to be unatainable.

Match

Courtship among dragonflies can be a tumultuous, fiery process. Competition among males is extremely high and no-one more than the females bear the brunt of this heat. Swirling to and fro, submerging into the water, zig-zagging among the reeds, a female will make this "chase" a true challenge for her male counterpart. Here, the male clasps onto the female, keeping close guard of from fellow competitors during the process of egg-laying.

It is not uncommon for females to drown as a result of this conflagrate courtship.

Play

Those unwilling to risk moving from their safe little worlds run a great chance of failing.

The pleasure of risk is in the control needed to ride it with assurance so that what appears dangerous to the outsider is, to the participant, simply a matter of intelligence, skill, intuition, coordination - in a word, experience. Climbing, in particular, is a paradoxically intellectual pastime, but with this difference: you have to think with your body. Every move has to be worked out in terms of effort, balance and consequences. It is like playing chess with your body. If I make a mistake, the consequences are immediate, obvious, embarrassing and possibly painful. For a brief period, I am directly responsible for my actions. In that beautiful, silent world of the mountains, it seems to me worth a little risk.