Inspiration

Moments

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CloudsSo glad I got to enjoy these wild clouds on the beach in Oregon a couple of weeks ago... life has been chaotic and challenging this last week as I am again reminded how life can change so dramatically in the course of a few seconds. As a result, I haven't finished the website galleries and they will have to wait a bit. Meanwhile, I hope to get back to my art-making routine very soon as it provides such solace and time for reflection when everything else is in a state of upheaval.

Density

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Densetrees
UnderpineAlthough my trip to Oregon last weekend coincided with "Rhodie Days," the peak blooming period of the amazingly vivid rhododendrons, I was more fascinated by the density of forest and underpinnings in the coastal area we visited. Here are a couple of photos that show the dense patterning on display in giant stands of trees. Moss and lichen abound. Walking or driving past the trees created all kinds of kinetic light and shadow patterns that I was unable to capture, except in memory.

Rauschenberg Combines

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MigrationrrNews of Robert Rauschenberg's passing reminds me of how much I have admired his work and his enthusiasm for found materials -- particularly his "Combines." I can relate to the fact that "He loved making something out of nothing." In fact, I've always liked the way the verb "combines" becomes a noun by virtue of his work. What a life, what a body of work, what an inspiration... He is quoted as saying, "I don't really trust ideas, especially good ones. Rather I put my trust in the materials that confront me, because they put me in touch with the unknown." At left is "Migration," from 1959, a combine: oil, paper, fabric, printed reproductions, printed paper, and wood on canvas.