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Emerson, beauty and hiking…

By John on August 8, 2012 in beauty, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

I have been hiking some more through the dry heat of the island and enjoying the sweat and the feeling of the hot air going into my lungs as I breathe. Most of the walks have been around 12 km and primarily on well-traveled paths or roads. That is a drawback since walking on pavement is terrible for my legs and back. Tomorrow I head back out to Kolimbithres, but this time I will skirt the rocky edge of the island, bushwhacking through the dry, thorny underbrush. The goal will be the same: the beach and swimming. I’ll try to get some pictures. I must say that I am enjoying the solo hiking. It allows me to clear my head and think thoughts both shallow and deep. I guess I just let them come and go as I walk, similar to a walking meditation in Buddhism. Awareness of the steps I take and the objects to use and avoid while hiking is part of the meditation. John Pack, the director of the Aegean Center believes that hiking is one of the ways we exercise the brain. I can see his point. As I walk though the uneven surfaces of rock, dirt and thorn my brain is calculating and sending millions of mathematical signals to my muscles and tendons, making sure I do not fall or slip. Mindful awareness and the physical world. Emerson would like that.

Speaking of the poet, I was reading him this morning and in his essay ‘Domestic Life’ he discusses the concept of beauty. For him, beauty is all but indefinable and certainly transient. Beauty, as he would agree, is in the eye of the beholder. He wrote, “Beauty is, even in the beautiful, occasional,-or as one has said, culminating and perfect only a single moment before which is unripe, and after which it is on the wane. But beauty is never quite absent from our eyes. Every face, every figure suggests its own right and sound estate.”

Beauty is fleeting, random, changeable like the weather. Thus have been my affections, although their emotional imprint remains fossilized and frozen in time. I look back on the record with wistful, sometimes misty, eyes and wonder what would have been had the timing been different, the light at a different angle, something…Beauty, though, to me at least, remains fixed. I still think of past loves as beautiful, for there was beauty in the thinking and acting. None of them, I must admit, retain any angelic nature of memory. Certainly nothing devious either, and I have never fooled myself into thinking that there was anything other than a normal, human connection at work. To think otherwise would be to elevate these affections atop a pedestal and denigrate my own existence beneath them. Neither of these are real. So I will remember Emerson’s observation that beauty, like the cherry blossoms below, is real and on the vine yet subject to the shifting climate.

JDCM

Cherry blossoms, Manassas, Virginia, 2008

Paros and Emerson…

By John on August 2, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working, Wright Morris

My trip back to Greece was uneventful although the security in the large airport from which I departed the USA was tighter than usual. As a wise man reminded me, “These are the signs of the times we live in.” So true. And yesterday we all said goodbye to another wise man, Gore Vidal–writer, critic and general thorn in the side of anyone he felt needed a sharp poke as a reminder of their mortality and insignificance. I have a feeling that he and Marcus Aurelius would have been good friends, cynics both–grumblers concerning the state of the world–and brighter stars in what can often be a dull firmament.

It was a pleasure and a relief to arrive back in Greece even though I have had to leave dear friends and family behind. Such is my current path. PAGE Literary and Art Journal is going to print and the files have been sent to the printers. The only remaining task is to choose the paper stock for the cover and interior pages. This is a hands-on job so I will not be taking care of that responsibility. It is a very pretty publication, with relevant articles, both new and republished, and interesting work from the artists in that microcosm of the Northeast. With that behind me I have returned to Paros and I am happy to be back. My visit to the USA was so short it feels surreal to walk down the narrow streets of this port town, now more crowded with tourists, feel the heat of the Greek sun and hear the ancient familiar music of the Greek language. It is as if I had never left, yet I have the jetlag to prove it. I have work to do here before I leave for Italy in a few weeks so I will be busy and I am looking forward to that. For me idle hands are the devil’s playground. In short, I need to have work to do and some structure to my life, a schedule of some kind. People to see, places to go, things to do. Then I can rest.

Today’s (2 August) reading from ‘ A Year with Emerson’ is appropriate since I am back here and in contact with my teachers, mentors and those who would guide me. When he was thirty years old Ralph wrote a letter to his Aunt Mary and gave a description of his ideal teacher. He wrote, “God’s greatest gift is a teacher & when will he send me one, full of truth & boundless benevolence & heroic sentiments. I can describe the man, & have done so already in prose and verse. I know the idea well, but where is its real blood warm counterpart…I may as well set down what our stern experience replies with the tongue of all its days. Son of man, it saith, all giving & receiving is reciprocal; you entertain angels unawares, but they cannot impart more or higher things than you are in a state to receive. But every step of your progress affects the intercourse you hold with all others; elevates its tone, deepens its meaning, sanctifies its spirit, and when time & suffering & selfdenial [sic] shall have transformed and glorified this spotted self, you shall find your fellows also transformed & their faces shall shine upon you with the light of wisdom & the beauty of holiness.”

“You entertain angels unawares…” How lovely. We are only ready to receive that which we are ready to understand. In a way he is reminding me to remain open to the ideas around me, to not shut myself off from the “sunlight of the spirit” and to look keenly into the eyes of those who know. I must admit that I cannot say much else after that. That’s alright. I think Emerson, Vidal and Old Aurelius would agree. As a parting shot I would like to introduce a circular idea I have been mulling for the past few months: learn, practice, teach.

JDCM

Departing for home…

By John on July 30, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tomorrow I begin to make my way back to Paros. I will fly from New York to Vienna, have a short stopover and continue on to Athens where I will stay Wednesday night. I’ll take the early morning ferry to Paros on Thursday and be back on the island in time for lunch. I am looking forward to getting back. As much as I have enjoyed being here in America I feel relieved to say farewell again. I have many friends and family connections, roots and so forth but the challenges I face merely frustrate me. There seems to be little reward. The best I can do here is nothing. That, in itself, is a relief since it means that I am able to let those around me do their respective tasks and keep my nose out of the mix. Growth is apparent, even to me.

Unfortunately I am finding little artistic growth for me here. The arts community is too catty and cloistered for my tastes and too involved with what is supposedly new, shocking or cutting edge or any its post-modernisitc derivatives. The weather is also damn cold right now, and breezy. I want the heat and sun in August, not this rainy, cool pattern. Yes, things are green and we are lucky to not be living in the Midwest, but I yearn to be back in the heat and dry air of the Aegean, the sea sparking and the cloudless sky boring me with its nondescript toned sunsets. I want the light to bounce off of 3rd century BC marble columns and change my perception of the color ‘white’. The fall will arrive and clouds will appear, the rains will begin and the island will once again turn green, spattered with the colors of fall flowers against the blue skies and rocky hills outside of town.

Today I take care of my usual pre-travel tasks. Packing, of course, but also a run to the bank, last minute laundry, checking email addresses, charging mobile phones and double checking that have my passports. My mother is aware that I am leaving and is sad but also understands that this is the path I must go and that my life, as of now, does not include Ancramdale as it used to. She is happy that her children are happy, eats well, sleeps well and enjoys her days. What else is there, really?

JDCM

Blueberries, America and islands…

By John on July 27, 2012 in Uncategorized

Blueberry Shortcake, 2012

I had a very relevant post about living on islands, picking blueberries and the tragedy and beauty that surround us in this modern life. For some reason WordPress didn’t save the text when I uploaded the photo of some blueberry shortcake I made. In any case, the post is gone with the wind. At least the picture is still there.

JDCM

Emerson, PAGE Journal and grilling…

By John on July 18, 2012 in Greece, Paros, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working, Wright Morris

As I write this missive a storm rumbles its way just south of us throwing off heat as it drops the barometric pressure on someone else’s small town leaving us, well, humid to beat to band and hot. Too hot to hang about outside and too hot to pick blueberries, which I was hoping to do today. No dice. Instead I went to the air-conditioned gymnasium (a Greek word, btw…), walked my 4.5 miles, burned off almost 800 calories and came home. I showered off the sweat and began to sweat again. So be it.

I have been noodling around with Ralph Waldo Emerson lately. I purchased a book at Oblong Books in Millerton by Richard Grossman titled ‘A Year With Emerson’ and I have been enjoying the quotes he has chosen. In some cases he adds a small editorial note to give the quote a sense of context and I find this book to be a fine addition to my other daily readings. Today was about Emerson’s love of ‘strolling’ and getting lost in nature. He wrote,

“I deliberately shut up my books in a cloudy July noon, put on my old clothes and old hat and slink away to the whortleberry bushes and slip with the greatest satisfaction into a little cowpath where I am sure I can defy observation. This point gained, I solace myself for hours picking blueberries and other trash of the woods, far from fame, behind the birch-trees. I remember them in winter, I expect them in spring. I do not know a creature that I think has the same humor, or would think it respectable.”

Emerson’s love for the peripatetic, or the thoughtful walk, reminds me that when I am on the treadmill, defying the heat and humidity on this sultry July day, I must look a bit crazy to the gods. So be it. I ponder empty thoughts, count the miles ticking away and check my pulse once in a while. I am thinking of Greece today, having had a nice email from a friend in Scotland who will be there in August for a holiday. I am returning there in less than two weeks and I am looking forward to the heat of that place, albeit without much of the humidity. But today, unlike Ralph, I picked no blueberries.

I have updated the website of ‘PAGE Literary and Arts Journal’ and it looks pretty good. It is simpler and easier to navigate and some of the new changes clarify our submission policies and history. I have been given marks of approval from the other editors so that makes me happy as well. I hope we go to print soon!

Cooking outdoors has been a common dinner event here in Ancramdale as of late. If we are going to use heat for cooking we might as well leave it outside. The pictures tell the story. Damn, it is hot. My fingers are sticking to the keyboard…

JDCM

News from the Hudson Valley and some more Henri-isms…

By John on July 9, 2012 in Uncategorized

It has been almost a week since I arrived back in New York. I must admit the weather is more of a shock than any of the culture. I am familiar with American culture, its pros and cons, etc…but my body has become acclimated to the weather on Paros and to me it seems mighty cold. In reality it is a lovely summer morning with low humidity and promises to reach into the mid-80sF by the afternoon. In Athens yesterday it was touching 100. I imagine Paros was just as hot.

My mother’s age-related condition has progressed along a predictable path. She is still bright and cheery but now has more blank moments, wondering if she has gone on a trip and has just arrived home or needing reassurance that she is at home. These are easily alleviated worries and she forgets her fretting when reminded that she is indeed home and safe. She is aware that something is going on with her mind and that, too, comes and goes. She is very happy that I am here, that all of her children are happy, safe, having fun and doing well. These parental emotions seem to be the foundation of her world-view. I feel we are all very fortunate that at this point this is how life is for her: no anger, no paralyzing fear, no childlike tantrums. I have heard nightmare stories of these events from others in regards to their elderly relatives. We are lucky to not be experiencing that. I hope we never do.

PAGE Journal, the literary magazine with which I have been involved, is coming to fruition. After two years of building the publication from the ground up we are poised to go to press. As Arts Editor I have had an easier task than some, but in this past week we have had to make some sweeping editorial decisions, both literary and visually, to bring the journal into focus and along a strong and steady beam. There have been some personnel changes that will still require patience, tact and perhaps even a cold edge. I feel that the Universe will tackle many of our dilemmas for us and we will be left to sweep up whatever crumbs, if any, remain on the floor. As it stands, the journal is an excellent example of contemporary literary and visual art from this Northeast Oblong region: The Taconic, Berkshire and Litchfield Hills. We have photographs, paintings, sketches, poetry, essay and fiction. There is a short excerpt from R. W. Emerson, which stands as our manifesto, examining the role of the artist in society. Our journal is inspired by Emerson’s own work with ‘The Dial’ and the transcendental movement in the 1830s. In our own way we examine the role of the artist and use the theme of ‘Place’ to guide us for this issue. What, indeed, is my place as an artist (and a man) in today’s world? I can become easily disheartened by what I witness and therefore find it easy to turn away from the world at large. I can enjoy this reaction but in the end it serves me only in small ways. The role of the artist, as I see it, is to remain a student, learn as much as possible and then bring that to the larger world, or audience. This is the way the world changes, not by cataclysmic thunder, but through whispered gesture.

Here are a few short bits from Robert Henri:

“The student must look things squarely in the face, know them for what they are worth to him”

“Join no creed, but respect all for the truth that is in them.”

“The battle of human evolution is going on.”

“There must be investigations in all directions.”

“Do not be afraid of new prophets or prophets that may be false.”

“Go in and find out. The future is in your hands.”

JDCM

Some more thoughts from Robert Henri…

By John on July 7, 2012 in craft, Greece, Paros, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

Before I start quoting Robert Henri I must say that it feels good to be back in the Hudson Valley. This time I am just visiting, and that is an interesting feeling in itself. I do not feel the need to become too involved in the daily goings-on of my mother’s house other than to fill out some paperwork should it need doing and eat the food that’s put in front of me–no hard task that! Her health is solid and typical for a woman her age with the physical issues she has developed. Nothing dramatic, just a steady plateau of daily living for an octogenarian. There are naps, movies to watch, the New York Times, phone calls from friends and family and more naps.

I have been reconnecting with my friends here as well and have found the same old crowd more or less exactly the way I left them, which I am relieved about. In a world that is constantly changing, sometimes too fast for anyone’s good, it is a pleasant and healthy surprise to find that one has anchors of friendship and support in the old haunts as well as the new.

Right now there is a group of turkeys crossing the lawn, bobbing through the hollow on their way to the pond for a morning drink. I saw some deer last night, some possums too. The hydrangeas are blooming in enormous white balls of tiny flowers; the air is damp and the weatherman predicts hazy, hot and humid today. I meet with the editorial board (of which I am one) of PAGE magazine today for the final layout session before we go to press. This has been a 2-year labor of love, a long time coming and, frankly, I think we are all ready to put it to bed. With that, Robert Henri has something to say on the matter of work…

“All outward success, when it has value, is but the inevitable result of inward living, full play and enjoyment of one’s faculties.”

“Don’t belong to one school [i.e., of thought, ed.]. Don’t tie up to any technique.”

“It is necessary to work very continuously and valiantly, and never apologetically. In fact, to be ever on the job so that we may find ourselves there, brush in hand, when the great moment does arrive.”

“Events and upheavals, which seem more profound than they really are, are happening on the surface.”

“On the surface there is the battle of institutions, the illustration of events, the strife between peoples. On the surface there is propaganda and there is the effort to force opinions. The deeper current carries no propaganda. The shock of the surface upheaval does not deflect it from its course.”

“On the surface, disaster is battled with disaster. Things change. But all improvement is due to what of fundamental law rises to the suface, through the search made by this of the undercurrent.”

“There are painters who paint pictures with spiritual titles but whose motives are purely materialistic.”

“The great masters in all the arts have been whole men, not half men. They have had marvelous fullness in all human directions, have been intensely humane in themselves and in their interests. And if they seem to select, it is because they have so much to select from.”

“A public which likes to hear something worthwhile when you talk would like to understand something worthwhile when it sees pictures.”

“The true character of the student is one of great mental and spiritual activity. He arrives at conclusions and he searches to express his findings. He goes to the market place, to the exhibition place, wherever he can reach the people, to lay before them his new angle on life. He creates a disturbance, wins attention from those who have in them his kind of blood–the student blood. These are stirred into activity. Camps are established. Discussion runs high. There is life in the air. The non-student element says it is heresy. let us have ‘peace!’ Put the disturber in jail. In this we have two ideas of life, motion and non-motion. If the art students who enter the schools today believe in the greatness of their profession, if they believe in self-development and courage of vision and expression, and conduct their study accordingly, they will not find the audience wanting when they go to the market place with expressions of their ideas. They will find a crowd there ready to tear them to pieces; to praise them and ridicule them.”

More to come…

JDCM

Some Robert Henri-isms…

By John on July 3, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, Greece, nude studies, Paros, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

Here are some quotes from Robert Henri, from his book ‘The Art Spirit’. It has given me great joy and pleasure in the past 24 hours. His words, I feel, are meditations…

“An art student should read, or talk a great deal with those who have read. His conversations with his intimate fellows should be more about his life and less of paint.”

“He should be careful of the influence of those with whom he consorts, and he runs a great risk in becoming a member of a large society, for large bodies tend toward the leveling of individuality to a common consent, the forming of adherence to a creed.”

“An artist who does not use his imagination is a mechanic.”

“All things change according to the state we are in. Nothing is fixed.”

“There is nothing in all the world more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe than the nude human body. In fact it is not only among the artists but among all people that a greater appreciation and respect for the human body should develop. When we respect the nude we will no longer have any shame about it.”

“The art student of these days is a pioneer. He lives in a decidedly colorless, materialistic age…Sometimes in the past we shot ahead, in certain ways, ahead of where we are now…We have yet as a body to come up to the art of living.”

“If a man has the soul of an artist he needs mastery of all the means of expression so that he may command them, for with his soul in activity he has much to say.”

“It is a splendid thing to live in the environment of great students. To have them about you in person if you can. If not in person, in their works. To live with them. Great students agree and disagree. They stir the waters.”

“If you want to know how to do a thing you must first have a complete desire to do that thing. Then go to kindred spirits–others who have wanted to do that thing–and study their ways and means, learn from their successes and failures and add your quota. Thus you may acquire from the experience of the race. And with this technical knowledge you may go forward, expressing through the play of forms the music that is in you and which is very personal to you.”

“Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.”

Update from Weinerville…aka, Vienna…

By John on July 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

The flight from Athens to Vienna was painless and two hours. I am here just overnight so I am staying at the NH Vienna Airport Hotel which is probably identical to hundreds of hotels around the world sitting next to airports. It is new, polished and posh, outfitted in the latest high-end IKEA furniture and shiny appliances. I doubt I’ll stay here again. It’s not my style but it is convenient for my morning flight to JFK. I’ll probably hang here tonight and read, watch a movie or two, hit the sack and then hit the road.

I have been reading Robert Henri’s ‘The Art Spirit’ and I must say it has cheered me up after a dour Paros exit. He has many wise words for all those who work in, pursue or endeavor to contemplate the arts. He speaks of the loneliness of the artist and how it is a necessary thing; our work can never be fully understood by anyone but ourselves; the artist’s garret is romantic and perfect on some days and then on others it is dusty, dark and the tiles are falling off the wall; there will always be great movements in the ‘art world’ and we should not be distracted by all the pomp and show of the charlatans and quacks but rather dig until we find the core of meaning underlying the revolution. For some reason all this stuff makes me happy. So be it. Happiness is where we find it, even here in a cookie-cutter hotel room out by the airport, even here in Weinerville.

JDCM