BIRMINGHAM PEACE PROJECT

click on image for better reading

we will do well to recognize what we all have in common
rather than dwelling on our differences

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

a gift from the tyrant

what a touching gesture


isnt it nice that the bush clan can leave half a million dollars worth of china for the whitehouse. just what they need. did the old just need replacing or have they been eating from paper plates all along.
a great many people eat from dishes from the thrift store. some dont have enough to eat to cause concern about their tableware





'sneering tyrant'
ink on paper

it will be gift enough for the tyrant to just be gone.

there is brush to be cut at the ranch.

12 days to go.


"a bone to the dog is not charity.


charity is sharing the bone with the dog


when you are just as hungry as he is"


jack london






From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

killing for peace

KILLING for PEACE


how many civilians must be killed to buy peace?
isnt that a stupid question?
it seems that in most if not all the wars going on right now ..in the name of "religion". "peace", "democracy" and other such 'desirable' things.. more innocent civilians and children are being killed than bad guys.
this baffles me
shall we just keep killing until everyone who differs from us in any way is dead..until each of us is the last one standing.
then have we won? proudly put our foot on the chest of dead mothers and children and raise our guns in victory in the name of our cause? ......we have WON peace.....

oil on masonite

painted during some war news
[there is plenty of it]

the madonna

16"x20 oil on canvas

painted from my wife carol and daughter

represents that all mothers are madonnas and

that all children are the blessed one

*********

"What triggers you can get less and less in your life. But, you know, if you're trying to avoid being triggered, I read something recently where someone said that's like becoming a celibate nun like me or monk and then trying to get rid of all the sexually attractive people in the world in order to keep your vows. You know, it just doesn't work. You have to work on your side of it, you know? ."..........................pema chodron

**

"This lousy world, this lousy people, this lousy government, this lousy everything. Lousy weather, lousy blah blah blah blah. Pissed off, you know, it's too hot in here, it's too cold, I don't like the smell and, the person is too tall in front, and -- too fat next to me, and they're wearing perfume and I'm allergic, and just -- unnnh! So he says, the analogy is that you're barefooted, it's like being barefooted and walking across blazing-hot sand or across cut glass. Or in a field with thorns. And your feet are bare, and you say, this is just, you know, it's really hurting, it's terrible, it's too sharp, it's too painful, it's too hot. Do I have a great idea! I am just going to cover the whole, everywhere I go, I'm going to cover it with leather. And then it won't hurt my feet anymore. That's like saying, "I'm going to get rid of her and get rid of him and get the temperature right, and I'm going to ban perfume in the world and, you know, there will be no, nothing that bothers me anywhere. There -- I am going to get rid of everything, including mosquitoes, that bothers me, anywhere in the world, and then I will be a very happy, content person." We're laughing, but it's what we all do. That is how we do approach things. We think, if we could just get rid of them or cover it with leather, then our pain would go away. Well, sure, because, you know, then it wouldn't be cutting our feet anymore -- I mean, it's just logical, isn't it? But it doesn't make any sense, really. So he [shantideva] said, "but if you simply wrap the leather around your feet" -- in other words, shoes -- then you could walk across the boiling sand and the cut glass and the thorns, and it wouldn't bother you. So the analogy is, if you work with your mind, instead of trying to change everything on the outside, that's how your temper will cool down. "

pema chodron

***

we can never have world peace until we are at peace with our neighbor

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

jones' dock

the baithouse

jones himself was quite a character. one of his many enterprises was this baithouse on the anclote river. it was never really a moneymaker but it was frequented by a range of motley characters.. shrimpers, mullet fishermen, winos, hangers on, and such... both night and day. the boat in the center brought back cuban refugees during the mariel boatlift in the early 70s. i ran a bait shrimp boat [not in the painting] from here. it was a source of quite meager income for me when i met carol. she went with me several nights to pick shrimp and make coffee. most of the boats around there were older and some in ill repair. much later she told me she was terrified each time but went with me only as part of her plan to capture me [we have been married or shacked up for 30 something years]. up town at ruth pantas' goldcup restaurant needing a deckhand for the night with a few beers i convinced one afternoon a townsman 'smokey' a carnival worker to go with me. about halfway up to the shrimp grounds smokey asked me.."how much will you make tonight?"..."if i give you that will you take me back to the dock right now?". i kept going and he suffered through the night. he was afraid of everything we caught in the nets. im not sure if he ever forgave me. those were interesting if lean days. ive had lots of jobs but never a career but most of the jobs have been quite interesting. i wouldnt have stayed with them otherwise. experiences were always more important to me than money.

the painting is oil on masonite. it was sold but is around 12"x18".

*****************

there is no news that i know of here in lipscomb today.

yesterday i planted some rye and clover seeds in the rows where i plant vegetables over in the chicken lot. i had them leftover from planting in my clover patch here. the rye and clover should introduce lots of nitrogen to the soil for spring planting over there.

good fortune to all

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

karma and the pit

karma
The word [karma] penetrated the Western consciousness, from the Buddhist point of view at least, in somewhat distorted guise. It is often called the Law of Cause and Effect, so it is about the consequences and actions of the body, speech and mind. And consequences are very important in Buddhism. Any action that is willed, however subtly, by the person who performs it will always produce a future "ripening" and ultimately a "fruit" of similar moral quality, because in the human sphere karma operates in an ethical manner. So an unethical action will produce a come-back of like kind in this life or some future rebirth; and the same goes for morally good or indifferent actions that are willed and freely undertaken. In the Bible it says something similar: that we reap what we sow. If we want to progress spiritually--or even just live with minimum aggravation--it therefore behooves us to be very careful how we speak and act, for there is no way we can escape the consequences.
- John Snelling

************

primal abyss

...16x20 oil on canvas...

**

coming up from the abyss..ascent of man

**

sisyphus .. condemned to roll a boulder up and over the edge of the abyss..only to have it..as he neared the top..to roll back down again

The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious

being abstracted it is not entirely clear but at the top left of the painting is village. it is separated however by a great chasm from the trail of man coming up from the pit. having escaped the fire they nevertheless are still separated from their goal.

**

i have heard of [i belive this is true but it really doesnt matter] a tribe somewhere on the continent of africa that is/was doomed to spend their entire life..whole families..generations of them..down in a mine pit ..either gold or diamonds. supplies adequate for their existence were sent down to them but they were never allowed to come up from the pit.

************

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

*

happy new year

happy new year

a new beginning

here is adam kadmon [jewish mysticism] primal man

the essence of man... haveing always been

9x12 block print

drawn at a sketch group and carved on a linoleum block and printed on paper

************

"The world is in fact a seamless and dynamic unity, a single living organism that is constantly undergoing change. Our minds, however, chop it up into separate, static bits and pieces, which we then try mentally and physically to manipulate "--John Snelling, Elements of Buddhism

***********

the beginning of a new year

i am of course going to start the new year with blackeyed peas, pork, and cabbage.

today as everyday is also the beginning of the rest of my life...and at any moment could become the end of it....if there is really an end .

"plan as if you will live foreverlive as if you will die today" james dean

*********

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

new years eve

we can prepare today for a new beginning. tonight people will declare new resolutions. they will swear off bad habits...some write their resolutions on paper....some write their bad habits ....sins of 2008 ...or resentments.... on bits of paper and cast them into the fire. it will remain to be seen how many will actually change their ways... make amends for their sins...forgive their enemies. surely each of us has some area in our lives which would benefit from change. change is hard sometime but we would do well to after an honest look at ourselves to really put out some effort to affect positive change in our lives and in our interaction with others. im going to try.
***"All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness.the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives." Dalai Lama
***********************
the painting is a small [ 5x7 i believe] watercolor. she is the primal mother. we still have access to her as we are and always have been a part of the whole with no separateness of our 'selves'. a whole which has always existed in the moment.
********
from forbes.com : "Dozens of the world's wealthiest lost billions in recent months"
".... His [david ross] fortune, which we estimated at $1.4 billion in March, is now worth about $150 million........."
"...a fortune [Oleg Deripaskawe's] estimated to be worth $28 billion. ............now estimated at $10 billion. Or less..."
**
this is the financial news and concern. not much said about the "fortunes" of most of the people of the world including me and most likely you as well. their losses require lots of zeros....mine put my "fortune" much closer to zero. that is the financial news that is important to me.
what is the difference in the plight of the american worker who lives ..sometimes barely..from paycheck to paycheck...and the proletariat of communism? the difference unquestionably narrows as the gap between the haves and the havenots in america widens.
*********

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

something isnt right

there are people, real people, living under ground..in tunnels..and in cardboard boxes.
living there..for years.. not just spending the night.
not in india nor in brazil
but
here in the united states of america.
something just isnt right about that.
eliminate if you choose the drug addicts and alcoholics..those there by choice..those who dont want to work
and
there are still people, real people, living underground..in tunnels..and in cardboard boxes.
here in the united states of america
people who just cant find their way out.



From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

ebbie and the plan

"He who has a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

the plan is to begin to aquire the parts....mainly wheels...to build a cart for ebbie to pull.

oh..you dont know ebbie?

ebbie is my dog.....pyrenees mix. she is the off spring of a rescue dog. we got her from olivia who always has a pack of rescue dogs. she is particular where they go. her mother is great pyrenees. her sister libby weighed like 80 lbs when she was 8 mos old. ebbie is 2 mos shy of 2 years and weighs around 70 lbs. she is well behaved but that is because she chooses to be... she is a faithful companion to me but is very independent. she sleeps in the house at night but would just as soon be out in the cold rain. it doesnt bother her a bit and she loves it outside. my studio is up the hill from the house and has a small deck/porch on the front of it. that is her favorite place. she can sit up there and survey almost all of her holdings. pyrenees are guard dogs for farm animals..sheep, goats, alpacas etc. they protect against all intruders from butterflies to grizzly bears and wolves in the pyrenees mountains in france and spain. they also are used as draft dogs hence the cart for her.

she got her harness in the mail on saturday and didnt mind at all that we put it on her even tho we fumbled around quite a bit untangling and figuring it all out. she doesnt mind at all walking around the chicken lot with it on ..traces and a singletree dragging behind her. by the time i get a cart built im sure she will be more than ready to pull it. she acts as though she was already trained for it.

they have been bred for it for years.

maybe she can pull a float next year in the christmas parade.

carol took her running yesterday for 2 or 3 miles. she loves that.

good fortune to all for the day.

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

block prints

these are 9x12 linoleum block prints

mother teresa was done from a painting i had done

the christ was done from the mother teresa

the similarity is intentional

a few copies have been sold

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

christmas

merry christmas

to all

ted & carol & the dogs

the card is brush and ink
sumi-e

















From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

christmas eve

this was our entry in the lipscomb christmas parade. kids loved it. did you even know that lipscomb has a christmas parade? my jeep which we used to pull it is pretty ratty looking to pull a christmas train like this so carol wrapped it in christmas paper and garland and greenry and gold balls with a big red bow on it. brenda renzs grand daughters stood in the back of the jeep and smiled and threw candy and just had a generally good time spreading christmas cheer. carol rang the bell and i blew the whistle. when we got home we just left the train in the front yard as part of our outdoor decorations..which we were late getting up this year.

we wish everyone everywhere a merry christmas

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

wasteland and pant

i noticed yesterday that we use a lot of paper plates and paper towels. now it really doesnt make a lot of sense to me. cut down a treethat took some years to grow..cut it down..make some paper..use the plate or towel for usually only a few minutes...throw it away. i wonder how long it takes to throw a tree away? doesnt sound right does it. so...yesterday i used neither paper plates nor towels..but in the stead i used 1 knife, 1 fork, 1 spoon and 1 plate, 1 bowl, and 1 glass and a cup all day. that reminds me of a story. anyway we shall see how long the paper saving lasts.

the story: [this is true ]:

years ago living in tarpon springs we were preparing to move from shakey flats to an apartment..carol and the kids [3] and myself..on banana street. i decided it would be in our favor to limit our selves to each person 1 each..knife,fork, spoon, plate, bowl,glass, cup. so that is what we took with us. this served us ok. months later for thanksgiving we invited a herd of people over for dinner. in time we realized there was no tableware for the guests so we contacted each of them and advised them to please bring their own. so without another thought they did. they each brought his own tableware and we had a grand thanksgiving. when they left alas most of them left their utensils so since then we have been back to a drawer and sinkful of kitchen stuff.

this painting was started in florida but i recently finished it up here. it was at first a more idyllic scene but i changed it to be more truthful. most of the condos remain unsold or are in forclosure as a result of greed. just up the street from our house here is a creek which shamefully looks a lot like the one in the painting because of nothing other than thoughtlessness.

the painting is mixed media 16x20 on canvas. it drew a lot of attention at avondale and was displayed at my brothers annual christmas party but remains unsold..as do countless others.

panting: this morning carol said that ebbie's panting made her want to go back to sleep. im not sure i understand that but i did realize that pant is one of those words that i like. pant. doesnt it sound nice? and you would almost know what it was just from the word itsself. say it. panting.

enough ..im headed for the bank and the library.

good fortune

in the beginning

first day of the new blog. i will try to publish daily or at least semi regularly. i will be posting images of art..mostly mine, rants, raves, views on the news and news, items from lipscomb al and more.

feel free to comment . try not to be a jerk. i like comments on my art positive or negative but dont go into a full blown critique.

about this painting: it isnt me. it was painted last year and sold at the avondale art in the park '07. 16x20 acrylic on canvas. a streetcorner busker or a symphony violinist?? ...cant judge books by .....

it will be interesting to see how the blog goes.

tis the season