"Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." (Pablo Picasso)

"Why do you paint such dark paintings?" she asked.

"Dark? What do you mean with dark?" I asked.

"Well, you seem to use so much black in your paintings" she continued.

True, I thought, I do tend to use a lot of black in my work.

I thought about it for awhile, then answered her: "I use black because it accentuates light the best."

Light. Where would we be without it?

During a violent storm which resulted in a black-out, I found myself pondering what life may have been like before we learnt how to harness energy and convert it into electricity, electricity which has given us access to "light" whenever we want or need it. Fumbling about in the kitchen cupboard, I found a couple of candles, but before I found some matches to light the candles with, I managed to step in the cat's water bowl, trip on the living room rug, and scare the cat half to death while flaying about trying to steady myself. Eventually I found some matches and as the first flame flickered into life, I was reminded of the importance of light.

(Some see it as a fact that virtually all living organisms need light in order to survive and thrive.)

With only a few candles to light up my downstairs living space, suddenly the very familiar seemed un-familiar and it then dawned upon me that it was the way light fell on objects, that made it possible for me to surmise what those objects were. 

According to some, human beings have a fundamental attraction to light because it aids our mechanism for survival.... whatever danger may lurk in the shadow, throw some light on it and we will know what we are dealing with and how to respond.

But what about fire works, Christmas lights, sparklers, star gazing, city lights, fairy lights, staring at an open fire, etc.? Why do we seem so fascinated by those?

Some suggest that the reason we are attracted to light is as simple as this: visibility, okay, but....that doesn't really explain to me why so often "sparkling" lights seem to be able to trigger responses such as excitement, joy, pleasure, and or a sense of wonderment and awe in many of us when we see sparkling lights.

Some suggest that we are attracted to "shiny, sparkly" things because they sparkle and shine like water.....and water is something humans can't live without.  Hmmm....

Light, when it comes to painting (art, in this case) emphasizes features through highlights and shadows and bring depth to a painting, sketch, water colour, etc....and when used masterly as by for instance Rembrandt, Van Gogh, or many of the Impressionists, can evoke a multitude of emotions in the person viewing the painting. By studying works by master painters, it became very clear to me just how important the application of light is, and the starker the contrasts, the more effective and direct the communication between the image and the viewer becomes... in my opinion.

Light shines brightly against the darkness, the darker the darkness, the brighter the light.

Often black (or any dark colour) is associated with something "bad", sad, or dubious, whereas white/bright colours are often associated with something "good", cheerful, friendly, and happy.

(According to those in the "know" this stems from a long tradition of metaphorical usage of black-and-white dualism; symbolically white representing good and black bad.)

Mark Rothko, famous for his colour-field paintings: "Bright colours sort of stops your vision at the canvas, where dark colours go beyond". In themselves, colours, including black and white, do not possess any moral values, it is us that attach such to them. A colour, so say those in the "know", is merely a property of light as seen by human beings. 

Having said that, isn't it amazing how we somehow already at toddler age if asked what our favourite colour is, know the answer?

"Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." (Pablo Picasso)

This post is for you........my global friend

Snow. 

I love it. Sure, it's just frozen water, but snowflakes for me are amazing little pieces of art.

So beautifully constructed, each different snowflake a unique tiny piece of "sculpture".

 I guess for me what is also so wonderful about snow is how it can transform any landscape, or 

city-scape, or village, or mountain range, into glistening, sparkling, and enchanted spaces.

Snow, as it falls, transforms sharp and pointy things into rounded and "soft" things.

For many of us, snow is also something we often associate with Christmas celebrations together with family and or friends. 

Some of us are very fortunate and have families and friends we can celebrate Christmas with, but for many, Christmas time is possibly the worst time of the year.

Even if Christmas means little more than a "commercially driven event in favor of those who profit monetary from it" for some of us, those of us who have no families or friends to spend Christmas with can easily feel "left-out" and lonely during the Christmas celebrations.

Whatever Christmas may mean to you or me, traditionally in Western cultures, (probably in other cultures as well) the common sentiment is "love, peace, harmony and goodwill to all mankind".

One definition of goodwill is: benevolence, compassion and good-heartedness, another is: being friendly, helpful, and having an attitude/feelings of cooperation.

Even if one may view Christmas as a merchant marketing ploy, or an excuse for all manners of gluttony and greed, what about the "love, peace, harmony and goodwill to all mankind" part?

What about setting aside a few days out of the whole year to "love, peace, harmony and goodwill to all mankind", couldn't that still be a good idea?

What if for a few days of the year, we were to acknowledge the "glass people" in a spirit of goodwill? "The glass people", as in those people we somehow just don't seem to "see" unless they ask us for money, or talk too loud, or smell, or dress funny, or talk funny, or talk to themselves, or seem drunk, or "high", or strange, or foreign, or scary, or different, or sick, or....etc.etc..

(My son first introduced me to the term "glass people" a few years ago and when I asked him what he meant, he answered: "I call them the "glass people" because nobody seems to see them.")

Small gestures of kindness can have amazing outcomes, so can words of encouragement to someone who seems a bit down, a friendly "hello" can make a huge difference for a person feeling lonely, a phone call/text to someone you have lost touch with can make their day, an offer to assist someone struggling can boost that person's morale, lending a hand to an elderly person carrying a heavy bag can make his/her day, .....a bit of goodwill and compassion, may I suggest, goes a long way.

In my view, "gifts" comes in many shapes and sizes and some of them have nothing to do with money.

Some suggestions of "gifts" that we can all give: a kind word, a listening ear, some quality time, patience, a warm embrace, a strong hand, being present (=being there), an offer to help clean, cook, carry, etc. for someone, an offer to take someone for a walk, an offer of comfort to someone struggling, or.....(insert here your own suggestions)........sometimes just asking a person "can I help?" can be the most precious and generous of gifts we can give.

If you believe in love; be a loving person

if you believe in peace; be a peaceful person

if you believe in harmony; be a harmonious person

if you believe in goodwill; be a good-hearted, compassionate person

"It was only a sunny smile,
And little it cost in the giving;
But it scattered the night
like the morning light,
                         And made the day worth living." (Unknown poet)

Christmas is just around the corner, and fortunate as I am, I have a family to spend it with...

but if you don't have one...let me first thank you for visiting this blog,

then wish you much  love, peace, harmony and goodwill.

Truth? Or opinion? Or belief?...the dilemma

Six blind men are asked to touch an elephant, but only one part of the elephant.

The first one who feels one of the elephants legs answers: "It feels like a pillar."

The second one who feels the tail answers: "It feels like a rope." The third one who feels the elephant's trunk answers: "It feels like a tree branch." The forth one who feels the ear answers: "It feels like a hand fan." The fifth one who feels the belly answers: It feels like a wall." The sixth one who feels the tusk answers: "It feels like a solid pipe." 

This is a story used in Jainism, an ancient Indian religion, often used to reveal the precariousness of the concept "truth".

"Truth" is a topic which has been discussed for many years by many people, and according to philosophers, it will probably keep on being discussed for many more years.

In conversation with someone just the other day I asked that person what he is passionate about in life and he answered: truth.

When I asked him what he meant with "truth", he answered: "What do you mean? Truth is truth."

This is an answer that I have come across many times and for many of us perhaps it's a simple as that.....but for some of us.....not so much.

It seems to me that we often deem something a "truth" because to us it IS truth, but pondering the issue, I have come to believe that we often call something "the truth" when perhaps it is more of an "opinion" rather than a truth.

Some say that truth is something that is supported by evidence. Well, what kind of evidence? 

Evidence based on the scientific method? Oxford Dictionaries: "scientific method is a method or procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses". Experiments need to be designed to test hypotheses. The most important part of the scientific method is the experiment." Hmmm...problem: scientific method can not be applied to everything ..... 

"Are you speaking the truth when you say that you love me? Well, let's observe, measure, test, and experiment, and come up with a hypotheses......"    Although we use the term "mind" as if it is "real", nobody sofar can verify through "scientific method" that such exist. I mean, can we really "loose" our minds, be out of our minds, or be mindless? We can't touch, see, hear, or taste it, yet most of us would agree that "mind" exists, so....can it somehow still be the truth?

What can be tricky with differentiating between truth and opinion is that something can "feel" like the truth but when scrutinized, prove to be an opinion. On top of that dilemma, sometimes something we believe very strongly can also feel like the truth. 

Well, what about "absolute" truth's? An absolute truth, also at times called a universal truth, is an unalterable and permanent fact so the definition goes, however, the existence of such has been debated, and is still debated among different groups of people. Okay then, so, what about "relative" truth's then? Facts can vary depending on circumstances: gravity used to be viewed as an absolute truth, however, today's scientists would probable deem it more of a relative truth. (There are many more examples to be found if you are interested)

Opinion: "a belief that a person has formed about something (topic, issue), .... a view or judgement formed about something, .....opinion is commonly the result of a person's perspective, understanding, feelings, beliefs, and preferences." 

Opinions can be problematic, because even if we can find facts to substantiate what we hold to be true, we are often biased without realizing it ....... we hold on to the facts the supports our opinions and often ignore, or just don't "see", those that don't. 

"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." (Leonardo da Vinci)

The parable about the blind men and the elephant can show us how one person's experience of "truth" may be just a part of the "bigger" truth; each of them knew something about the elephant through touching parts of it, but neither one of them were able to determine the elephant's complete nature.

If we base our understanding of truth solely on our own experiences, beliefs, and or information, although we may experience it as the truth, more likely than not we may find it difficult to respect and value other's points of view. If we want others to respect and value our opinions, a good start in my view is to do the same for others.

"It's not whether you agree with the opinion of another person that matters as much as how you respect it." (Rybird)
(Sorry for the look of this, something has gone crazy and doesn't want to be fixed)

Want to feel the words you write?.....use a pen...

Many things that probably used to be common place tools when we wanted to write something such as type writers, fountain pens, pencils, etc. are nowadays almost novelties, replaced by computers, tablets, mobile phones, etc.. Things change and mankind keeps on inventing new tools, tools that in many instances makes life "easier" and more efficient.

But, perhaps although we gain efficiency and "ease" through our new inventions, perhaps we also loose something?

The old type writers tended to "stick" and were noisy; they made a "clacking" noise when the keys were pressed; clackety-clack, clackety-clack-clack, clackety-ding, whereas computers, tablets, and phones are very quiet, well, except for occasional; oops, what? no no no no no, that's not what I meant to do.

Fountain pens had a tendency to leak so the user had to become very good at using blotting paper and or other methods of covering up unwanted ink stains. A pencil, though a very cheap (cost effective) writing implement, needed constant sharpening, and the lead in the pencil smudged easily.

So far, thumbs up for electronic devices, yeah? Well,....there are drawbacks methinks.

To use a type writer is both an auditory and physical experience, each letter that you type makes a noise and requires more physical input than tapping a screen or a computer keyboard, which in my view makes me wonder if perhaps the old type writers could possibly be viewed as "percussion instruments" as well as writing tools? I am old, and fortunate enough, to have experienced the sounds of a "typing pool" (a group of people all using type writers) and I found the sounds exciting. To me, it sounded like a kind of music.

I can't help but wonder if as many "poisoned letters" (nasty, mean-spirited comments) would be written today if to do so a person had to get a sheet of paper, load it into a type writer, clack away, then pull it out, get an envelope, write down the address and then finally go to a post office and post it. Using an electronic device, anyone can dish out vitriol (bitter criticism, malice) faster than a speeding bullet, remain anonymous, and all with minimal effort.

A type writer written note/letter, as well as a note/letter written with a fountain pen or a pencil, carry with them "bits" of the writer's identity, and this is something which science confirms. When we write using a fountain pen/pen or a pencil, we leave "bits" of our personalities behind.

In short, may I suggest that although there are many, many, many, great aspects to our electronic devices.......... being able to anonymously write mean-spirited, down right nasty and vitriolic things to and about others with the help of the internet rather than a great aspect, is a drawback.

Using pens or keyboards, according to those in the know, uses different cognitive processes.

“Handwriting is a complex task which requires various skills – feeling the pen and paper, moving the writing implement, and directing movement by thought,”  Edouard Gentaz, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Geneva, says. Using a pen requires precise motor skills; as in pressure of the pen, control of the pen, being able to follow through in action what a thought suggests. On a keyboard, regardless of the letter, the action/movement is the same.

"Drawing each letter by hand improves our grasp of the alphabet because we really have a “body memory” says Gentaz.

Roland Jouvent, head of adult psychiatry at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris:  “There is an element of dancing when we write, a melody in the message, which adds emotion to the text. Handwriting is the result of a singular movement of the body, typing is not."

(Perhaps, in view of this, it may be interesting to find out how many of the "trolls" who regularly voice their opinions and discontent on the internet, would be prepared to sit down with pen and paper and write it down and then send it off in an envelope to the appropriate recipients.)

Some writers who don't use electronic keyboards to write: Quentin Tarantino, (uses a pen), George R.R. Martin (uses an old word processor), Joyce Carol Oats (uses a pen), Tom Wolfe (uses either pen or a type writer), George Clooney (writes by hand) to mention a few.

For some, people choosing to use a fountain pen, ball-point, pencil or an old type writer may perhaps seem a bit "old-fashioned" in todays world of technology, but it is a choice no less. There are aspects of those tools that are quite practical in my view: with a pencil and a bit of paper you can write anywhere, even in a space shuttle floating upside down. A fountain pan is not only excellent as a writing tool, it is also an excellent tool for artistic endeavours (especially pen and ink works), a ball-point pen can also be used for sketching and drawing, gel pens have an incredible array of colours to chose from and with the event of "Mindfulness Colouring in Books" they are handy indeed. For those of us into "sounds", using an old type writer can be an auditory experience as well as a "physical" one. One thing these tools all have in common in my opinion, is that they somehow make you "feel" closer to the words you write, then when using a generic keyboard or a touch screen. Give it a try, get a pencil, or any kind of pen, and write something that means a lot to you on paper. Then write the same thing on the keyboard.... now do the same thing again but write something really vitriolic, insulting, offensive on paper, then on the keyboard.......and see how that feels.

Oh, and one of the really, really good things about the "old" writing implements is that whatever we may have written, can't be "sent" off accidentally......

“Irony, we want our handwriting to look like typed fonts, and our computer fonts to look like handwritten text.”
     (Vikrmn Corpkshetra)

(By the way, the image I have used as an illustration was made with Parker Ink, a fountain pen and a little bit of acrylic paint.)

On finding yourself............

 

Not long ago, my son and I had a joint exhibition called "Cinefiend" which was an homage to movie poster art. To promote the exhibition we made a "mock-up" of what a wall covered with different posters could look like. Except for the Frankenstein's monster, which is a large original acrylic painting on canvas, all the different posters are painted on large water colour paper and true to the original posters although as interpreted by us. Our aim was to pay homage, not "re-engineer", or improve, ..... we already considered them as amazing works of art.

What is art? Wikipedia: "Art is a diverse range of human activities of creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts." (Artworks)

The Urban dictionary has this to say: "The purpose of art is to create an emotional response in the person who is exposed to that art."

My definition is: "Art is an outer expression of an inner experience."

To which some of you may respond with: From the artists perspective perhaps, but what about those of us who are not artists?

What can art (music, sculpture, dance, literature, etc.)  do for us?

A few suggestions:

It can assist us in remembering. And we do so by buying(downloading) movies, books, images, concerts, ballets, TED talks, etc.etc. Most of us probably reach for the camera/phone when something that matters to us takes place. By having an image of that event we can return to it over and over again and be reminded of that experience. Which also applies to music, movies, etc..

It can assist us to preserve a sense of hope and optimism in the midst of all the troubles that befalls us

with the help of a beautiful landscape painting, a clever stand-up comedian/comedienne, a funny movie, music that makes us want to dance, and or words on a page that brings comfort to our souls, etc.etc.

It can assist us in our times of sorrow and pain. Do you know the song "Hallelujah" written by Leonard Cohen and made huge by Jeff Buckley? According to many people it's a sad, sad song, yet somehow also very comforting. When we are suffering, somehow "dark" paintings, sad music, movies with sad endings, dramas, tragic operas, sad poetry, etc. etc. often helps us getting through those difficult times. The artist's outer expression  of his/her inner experience made available to us through his/her art form offers us an opportunity to connect emotionally with someone else through their art.

It can assist us in awaken and connecting us with parts of ourselves that our everyday lives keep hidden from us. I can still remember exactly what time, where I was, and what I was doing when I first heard the song "Bring me into life" by Evanescence. The song somehow found its way straight into the most hidden parts of myself and made them visible to me. Many I have spoken with have had similar experiences with movies, documentaries, paintings, books, poems, or other art forms. Maybe you have too.

"We are not transparent to ourselves. We have intuitions, suspicions, hunches, vague musings and strangely mixed emotions, all of which resist simple definitions. We have moods, but we don't really know them. Then, from time to time, we encounter works of art that seem to latch on to something we have felt but never recognized clearly before." (Alain de Botton, "Art as therapy")

At times, we may reject artistic expressions because in our view they come in the "wrong" wrappings: "I don't like modern art, heavy metal, jazz, classical, country, etc. music, I don't like ballet, musicals, opera, street art, performance art, installations" and so on... unwittingly becoming prey to unfounded prejudiced judgements and missing out on valuable experiences.

"I don't like contemporary art, there's no real skill involved." 

"When you say contemporary art, what do you mean?"

"I mean that Pollock guy, Picasso, and those artists that just throw some paint on the canvas. Anybody could do that, no skill required."

"Would it surprise you if I told you that they are not classified as contemporary artists, but

Banksy, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairy, to mention a few, are regarded as contemporary artists, and they are all considered by most art connoisseurs as highly skilled."

I recently had a conversation similar to this with someone, I asked him if he was willing to have a look at some of my work as I see myself as a contemporary artist. He did. His comment was: "I guess I like contemporary art after all."

Alain de Botton again: "We grow up with a canon of art: a widely accepted list of art we should revere ..........." but what if we ignored that list and our own  "wrappings", what if like children we allowed ourselves to just emotionally experience the art before us whatever it may be?

The mind boggles.

"Art enables us to find ourselves and loose ourselves at the same time" (Thomas Merton)

Scared of spiders? Read this........

 

Suddenly, there it was, 2mm from my eyes and looking straight at me. Well, probably not, but it was big enough and scary looking enough for me to reach for the bug spray, but as I was spraying it, the wind changed and it blew straight into my face. Had I not ducked, the outcome could have been very different indeed, because although this is not a "deadly" spider, a bite in the eye could have been very nasty. (In case you're wondering, the painting is to size.)
Australia, with its golden beaches, blue, blue skies, and ravishingly beautiful natural wonders to behold, is also "deadly". And when I say deadly, I am talking about the many critters both big and small, that really can be deadly for human beings.
My first swim in the Pacific ocean introduced me to the deadly jellyfish called Portuguese Man of War. People waving at the beach were not just nice and friendly, they were signalling for me to get out of the water! Those floating blue and brown things that I thought were innocent jellyfish were not innocent, rather the opposite. I had a lucky escape. As I got to know different "aussies"(Australians), they recognised my cluelessness as to what to watch out for and kindly offered me advice as to critters to be careful about: spiders, snakes, scorpions, tics, ants, disease carrying mozzies, jellyfish, stonefish, leeches, sharks, etc.etc....the list was very long. Australia, I decided then and still believe, is a "deadly" country. (If you are an original landowner of Australia, an Aboriginal, then the word deadly can also be an expression for something being awesome. In my case, it also means both.)
In the beginning, there seemed a lot to remember: check your shoes before you put them on because some spiders like to live in them, check yourself for tics; little bloodsuckers that love to suck your blood in any of your crevices and make you very ill, always keep an eye out for snakes if you wander about in the bush, if you see little red or white ants, anything made from wood is in trouble, big red-black ants; bull ants, are nasty and for someone with allergy sensitivities can cause all matter of problems, and then there are the Huntsman spiders.....they can be huge, they are fast, they don't make a web, and they are numerous. Although they seldom bite humans, they are big enough sometimes to make you worry that they are gonna take off with your cat!
I was told by an aussie friend: "don't worry about the Huntsman spiders, they are basically pest control, they get rid of cockroaches, geckos, and other bugs. Now, the ones to worry about are the redbacks, the white tails, and funnel webs". What????  As far as I was concerned, the only spiders not to worry about, were Daddy-long-legs.
Somehow, they forgot to mention Wolf spiders. Classified as non-lethal, they are still venomous.
Now, this one, looks really scary and although they say that it's not aggressive, they are wrong!
I learned about this particular species when I went to my mailbox to fetch the mail. I opened the lid and staring back at me, standing on its hind legs, fangs and the rest of its legs up in the air and ready to attack, was a grey, hairy, scary, large wolf spider. Man, this spider had moxie.
He was ready to take me on although compared to him I was the size of a skyscraper!! Sheesh.
I got the bug spray. What I didn't know then but found out later that day was that the lawn that went around our house was like a Wolf spider metropolis; there were burrows everywhere all inhabited by wolf spiders. Something more drastic was called for other than bug spray. I poured turps down the holes and lit them on fire. Now, if anyone of you thinks that my action was too drastic, in my defense, at this stage my son was quite young and suffered with allergies often resulting in severe asthma attacks and since his life was far more important to me than the wolf spiders, they had to go.
But enough about spiders, let's move on to smaller critters such as midgies, mozzies, (mosquitoes) and flying ants. A midgie is a small fly, so small that it's barely visible to the eye, but it too is a bloodsucker and often hunt in a pack, and for some people, the bites can make them very ill.
Barely in Australia for a year, I was bitten by a disease carrying mozzie with the result that I had bouts of migraine and fevers for over two years...come on now, even a mozzie is that powerful in Australia???
Ready to come to Australia for a visit yet? Hehehehe....
Well, here's the thing....
It's like my aussie friends told me already in the beginning, "you get used to it and develop an awareness". Something moves in the corner of your eye....carefully check it out, check your shoes before you put them on, after a bush walk check for leeches and tics, before you go for a swim check the water for blue and brown things, before you lift a rock, a piece of wood, etc.....wear gloves, basically, pay attention to where you are and the critters that share that space with you.
Inspite of all the deadly critters, I am still living here in Australia because it is also offers a nature of magnificent beauty, long golden beaches, clear blue skies, a sense of space, a sense of potential, a sense of freedom, a sense of possibility, and a sense of discovery.

 "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
(Charles M. Schultz)

The strength and weaknesses of human beings.........

(Duplicity, as in "two-facedness")

There are other words that may also fit: the paradox that is mankind, the dichotomy of mankind, the contradictions of mankind....but I choose duplicity because it fitted better on the paper. (Not really, I just felt duplicity worked well with the painting and the topic.)

 

Show me a human being

and I'll show you how it is possible

to have eyes yet not seeing.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to have ears yet not hearing.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to read words of wisdom yet not grasp their meaning.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to possess a 'heart' yet have no feelings.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to preach words of faith without believing.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

                                          to possess many riches yet fail loving living.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

                               to cry on the inside yet on the outside show a face beaming.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to amass weapons of destruction while insist it's peace that's for the seeking.

 

YET

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to have hopes crushed yet keep on hoping.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to have ideas belittled yet keep on dreaming.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

for the impossible to become possible through the act of believing.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

for hearts to mend through the act of caring.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to find solutions through the act of cooperating.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to overcome obstacles through the act of encouraging.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to conquer stifling loneliness through the act of belonging.

 

Show me a human being,

and I'll show you how it's possible

to find purpose, truth and meaning,

when to acts of loving 

us humans are truly yielding.

(Citizen Z)

 

Be kind, be courageous, be compassionate, be loving, be strong,

believe, hope, and dream......it feels good.

 

Emotions, friend or foe?......

 

Eager to learn how to be able to paint the human form, I decided to buy a wooden figurine which many before me have found to be helpful. After filling a sketchbook of drawings of the figurine from many angles and in a myriad of positions, I decided to try to paint one.

What I discovered after painting this "Pinocchio" number One, was that somehow the wooden figurine seemed to have acquired "emotions" by the way I positioned its "bits". (For those of us familiar with the concept of "body language" this is not news, as in: how we hold our bodies sometimes speaks louder than our words.) This discovery enticed me to try to paint a range of human emotions using only the wooden figurine, Pinocchio, as a model. As I positioned and re-positioned the bits on Pinocchio, I was amazed at how those pieces of wood could transform a lifeless puppet into a dancer, a runner, an archer, to "look" forlorn, shy, sad, happy, joyful, strong, etc.etc.

 by mere positioning. After painting five or six different Pinocchio's, it suddenly dawned on me: why not paint two Pinocchio's interacting with each other? I bought another figurine.

I decided to try to paint a friend comforting his/her friend; a display of sincere friendship.

To make a long story short; I painted ten Pinocchio's, and all of them, except for one that I gave away to a friend as a present, (by request) sold very quickly at the gallery which had them on display. I was amazed and bewildered. So was the gallery proprietor.

What was it about these rather small and quickly painted images that appealed to the people who bought them, I wondered. The price, the size, the colours, the composition....what was it?

All the Pinocchio paintings had one thing in common: some form of an emotional stance.

But without any facial expressions, just body language. Was that it? Are we drawn to expressions of emotions as long as they are not expressed too overtly?

Cry, but not too loudly? Be sad, but not depressed? Be happy, but don't flaunt it? Be upset, but don't make a big deal of it? Be worried, but don't go on about it? Be angry, but don't lose control?

Grieve, but not too openly? Be joyful, but not exceedingly so?

Is this image too confrontational?

For many of us, it probably is.

When we see someone suffering, our mirror neurons fire up and we "feel" the other persons pain and that can be quite confrontational for some of us. On the other hand, being able to feel others pain may also increase our sense of compassion.

What's good about compassion, you may ask.

A few suggestions: it improves our health and well-being, it gives us a bigger perspective, it helps us get along with others, it helps us to be good and caring friends/partners/teachers/doctors/nurses/etc. etc., and it helps us to understand ourselves and others, and it is often contagious, as in inspiring others.

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”   (Albert Einstein)

 

“Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don't lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.”  (Sabaa Tahir) 

 

 

 

Hope...who needs it? We do......

 

His eyes, mere slits,

stares at the slowly moving field,

a moving field of wheat.

 

The unforgiving sun,

with its unbearable heat,

strangling all life

from his precious golden wheat.

 

A blue, blue sky,

often a welcomed sight,

 not so for a farmer,

fighting against a drought.

 

He hides his concerns,

his worries, his fears,

behind words of comfort

for those he holds dear.

 

From experience he knows,

that droughts come and go,

to be a successful farmer,

he must adapt to the flow.

 

"Nature, a fickle mistress she is"

his father used to say when winds began to twist,

the sky turn purple and flash with light,

he and his brothers, shaking with fright.

 

"Fickle indeed" he says to himself

as he cast his memory to last years events.

It had rained as in the days of Noah,

his field of wheat, ....more like an ocean.

"Hard to believe that that was just a year ago"

he mutters to himself standing there in his field of gold.

 

Lost in reminiscence, suddenly a new scent.

Carried by a cool breeze, heralding a change.

Creeping clouds of grey, growing in the distance,

rain is surely coming, so says a farmer's wisdom.

 

Much relieved and hope again restored,

he says a silent prayer and begins his long walk home.

(Citizen Z)

 

(The image is a graphite drawing)

You can do it...be courageous

 

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to scream?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever felt like you just wanted cry?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to throw a tantrum like a two-year old?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to walk away?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever felt like you wanted to stand up for yourself?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever felt like you wanted to say "Sorry"?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever said yes when you wanted to say no?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever had times when you wanted to speak from the heart?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever had times when you wanted to tell someone how you really feel?

But you didn't?

 

Have you ever had times when you just wanted to get up and do a little dance?

But you didn't?

 

What stopped you?

 

"Don't make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With this just one agreement you can completely transform your life".  (Don Miguel Ruiz)

Confront your fears....

Safely tucked into the protective arms of his father, the little boy feels safe enough to stare straight into the camera.

Feeling safe; according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, is one of our most prominent needs.

So, what do we mean? Safe from what?

(Words, in my view, are mere approximations, and the more I delve into trying to understand what they are, the more I realise how words are not just about words, but also about context, circumstance, interpretation, and perception.)

"Safe" (as in; being safe)- a few possible definitions: out of harms way, free from danger, risk, and other possible occurrences that may threaten our lives.

"Feeling safe", on the other hand, as far as I can ascertain, is different.

(One may feel safe in one's home during a thunderstorm, but that does not necessarily mean that one is being safe since lightning often enough strike buildings.)

Feeling safe, for many of us is often interpreted as not anticipating either harm or hurt, emotionally or physically.

Whatever we perceive as a possible threat to our physical and or emotional safety; whether real or imagined; our inclination is often to "run" from it and if we can't run from it, get "rid" of it. The fact that there are today so many human beings living on this planet does seem to indicate that for survival purposes, so far this approach has worked well for us. (Not so fortunate for all the creatures now extinct due to us wanting to feel safe)

According to those in the "know", feeling emotionally safe is something that comes from within us.

They suggest that when we are able to identify and understand our feelings, and rather than "running" from them we acknowledge and embrace them, that we may be able to feel more emotionally "safe".

(Disclaimer: this does not apply for those of us who suffer with serious mental health issues)

I have battled with anxiety (GAD) most of my life, (not so much nowadays) and for many years it seemed to me as if it (the anxiety) was this nebulous, nefarious, unpredictable kind of "mist" that just descended upon me seemingly from out of nowhere until one day a new thought: WHY? ...why am I feeling this way? What were the thoughts that preceded this anxiousness?

"If I think that the world is going crazy and that it is becoming a very dangerous place, maybe that's why I am feeling unsafe?" I quickly realised that how I think about something directly relates to how I feel about something. So if I wanted to change how I felt about something, then I needed to change how I thought about it. "Do I know this for a fact, or is fear clouding my judgement, my thinking about this?"

If you distrust strangers, why is that and how did you come to hold that view?

If you think "foreigners" are weird, why is that and how did you come to hold that view?

If you think that other belief systems other than yours are "wrong", why is that and how did you come to hold that view?

If you think that the world is unsafe, why is that and how did you come to hold that view?

At the bottom of feeling unsafe, lies fear, .... and fear-based thoughts, may I suggest, bring more fear.

Some of us may perhaps think that we may be able to keep fear at bay and feel safe and secure by building walls, buying arms, installing security systems, installing firewalls, padlocking everything, etc.etc., history tells us that the minute you build a wall someone will work out how to get over it, arm yourself and someone will have a bigger "gun", install a security system and someone will work out how to reset it, install a firewall and someone will figure out how to bypass it, padlock everything and someone will have a tool that can cut through them all.  

 

“I know a little something about fear, honey. I know what a relief it feels like to give into it at first. It’s not hard to persuade yourself that you’re doing the right thing—that you’re making the smart, safe decision. But fear is insidious. It takes anything you’re willing to give it, the parts of your life you don’t mind cutting out, but when you’re not looking, it takes anything else it damn well pleases, too.”  (Andrea Lochen)

Many of us probably hold the idea that the more control we have over the dynamics of our environment the more safe we will feel, thing is.....the need for control often comes from a place of fear and can fear really rid us of fear?

According to those in the "know", the answer is no, fear only brings more fear.

Some suggestions on overcoming feeling unsafe:

 

What exactly is making you feel unsafe?

When did those feelings begin?

What are your thoughts linked to those feelings?

Try to ascertain how many of those thoughts are anchored in facts.

Let go of those that are not.

Replace those thoughts with life-affirming ones (thoughts that brings courage)

 

"Confront your fears, list them, get to know them, and only then will you be able to put them aside and move ahead". (Jerry Gillies)

Humour is serious business...........

This is a painting of Charlie Chaplin, a man who was able to make many people laugh. Some would perhaps say that he was a "funny" man; he had a great sense of humour.

But, what makes someone funny, and what is humour.....in short, what makes us laugh?

As far as I can ascertain, it very much depends on the person and on the situation.

Some suggestions of different types of humour:

Slapstick =  a kind of comedy based on practical jokes, things and people bumping into each other, fumbling's and other displays of clumsiness, often accompanied with a "cringe" factor (feelings of embarrassment).

Sarcasm = a kind of comedy often dark, biting and "having a laugh at someone else's expense", commonly often founded on a play on words.

Parody = mimicking something, someone for comic effect

There are many more types of humour, but as to not get bogged down, I will stay with these three.

People walking in to glass doors, slipping on wet floors, birds dropping a "load" on an unsuspecting person, etc.etc., aka "slapstick humour", can be very funny, well, as long as it is not us it is happening to. Watching others fumble, stumble and embarrass themselves, we feel better about ourselves, after all, most of us have probably experienced similar experiences.

Sarcasm, some say is the lowest form of wit. (In my view, sarcasm is often a "masked" insult.)

What is sarcasm? When we use words that mean the opposite of what we really want to say:

      "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception." - Groucho Marx
       "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
       "I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"I love that you are so punctual, you're only an hour late".

"Me? Sarcastic? What, can't you take a joke?"

Why do we find sarcasm funny? (If we do) According to some we find it funny because there is often a mix of "smartness" and truthfulness in sarcastic comments. Once again, it is often easier to find sarcastic comments "funny" if they are not directed at us. Says a friend to a friend who lives in a messy environment: "How do you keep your place so tidy?" Response: "With a lot of grit and determination." Light-hearted banter of the sarcastic kind between friends can be enjoyable, and occasionally down-right funny, as long as there is a mutual understanding of where to draw the line between play on words and insults.

Saying something mean-spirited to someone on the other hand, and then throwing out: "can't you take a joke?" when the other person becomes visibly upset by the comment, in my view, is a cowardly act. (A turd is still a turd even if it is gift wrapped...)

Most of us at some time or another have probably imitated someone or something, not to belittle, rather, exaggerating certain aspects for comic effect. Robin Williams, the comedian, now no longer with us, was (in my view) a master at mimicking and exaggerating different aspects of people and situations with hilarious results.  (Mrs Doubtfire, Mork from Ork, Patch Adams, Flubber, a priest in Licence to Wed, etc.etc.) By exaggerating certain aspects of our expectations of how a Scottish babysitter should behave, or what an alien from another planet would be like, or how a doctor, or scientist, or priest should behave, we are offered a way of finding something comical in something  previously un-comical. Parody, is basically "taking the mickey" out of something, but usually not in a mean-spirited way, rather, in my view, parody is about finding a humorous angle in something rather un-humorous.

"Laughter is the best medicine" so someone has said. Now, is that true and if so, why?

According to Helpguide.org: "Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain".

Okay, so laughter is good for our well-being, but what makes us laugh?

Lots of different things, but as far as I can ascertain, it very much varies from person to person.

According to some, what makes something funny has to do with surprise and incongruence. Incongruence, as in: the juxtaposition of elements that conflict or contrast with each other; the simple and the complex, the rational and the absurd, the expected and the un-expected, etc..

Why do so many of us find cats (or other animals) doing un-expected things funny?

I watched a cat video with a cat "talking" in the most hilarious way only to discover that here at the complex where I live, there is a small black and white cat who does the same thing! One night, I heard the cat "talking" on the back veranda, so I walked out on the veranda while imitating the "talking". The cat froze dead in its movements and just stared at me with her bright yellow eyes.

After ten seconds or so, she took off into the bush. I called out to her: "Was it something I said?", but she was long gone.

Humour, and what we find "funny" being such a complex issue, I surfed the net for something that may be helpful (and save me from a lot of writing...hehehe) . I found this on Quora and contributed by an anonymous writer:

 

Being funny means being able to express humour of one kind or another—maybe a pratfall, or a witty pun, or a good joke, well-timed. You do need to have a sense of humour to be funny.

Having a sense of humour means being able to laugh at—or at least see the humour in—life's absurdities. You do not need to be funny to have a sense of humour.

Trying to be funny without a sense of humour is usually seen as bitter, sarcastic, and nasty. To cultivate a sense of humour, try and avoid this.

 

"Lucky is the man who can laugh at himself for he shall never cease to be amused."

 

 

 

If animals could talk, what would they say about humans?..............

If animals could talk, I wonder what kind of "score card" they would give us humans?

"The more I know humans, the more I love my dogs" said Mark Twain.

I have very little personal experience with dogs, but with cats (the small variety) I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with a few of them. For the last few years my son and I have shared our life with an extraordinary feline by the name of Lovecraft (after the famous author). Lovecraft is a tortoise shell cat, and that she was different, was quickly apparent to us when we went to the animal shelter to purchase a cat. The cats needing homes were kept in large enclosures into which the potential buyers were able to step in to and familiarise themselves with the cats. Seemingly out of nowhere, Lovecraft suddenly leapt from a niche onto my son's back and clung on for dear life. No matter what he did, she would not let go. She choose him, and that was that. So what makes her extraordinary? Her "human" like behaviour and sensibilities; she "talks", she can open screen doors, occasionally even regular doors, she gets "depressed" (our interpretation) when my son goes away on business trips, she "comforts" us if we are upset (she will climb into our laps and stretch out a paw and gently pat our cheeks), if we are arguing she will push things of shelves until we stop, just to mention a few things that she does. Of course, not being cats ourselves, our interpretations of her behaviours could be totally wrong.

I have often heard people call animals stupid and other derogatory terms, but I can't help but wonder: who are we to ascertain whether an animal is "smart" or not?

An animal that adopts or develops human like behaviour, is a smart animal?

I mean, how do we measure animal intelligence? 

According to Frans De Wall, a Dutch biologist and primatologist, rather than judging animals intelligence by human standards, we should judge animals on their own terms; according to their own natural abilities. De Wall suggests that rather than just considering brain activity, we should also consider the body (as in imitation which is done through body language) when assessing animal intelligence. Humans can talk, which sets us apart from animals, but animals have other ways of communication such as echolocation (dolphins, bats) which De Wall says requires a lot of brain power.

If animals could talk, what would they have to say about us? How do we treat our fellow creatures on this planet?

Judging by how many species are on the verge of extinction, or are already extinct, I can't help but wonder if humans really are that smart at all.......

Does not each animal play a role in keeping a balance in nature? According to the importance of functioning ecosystems, animals and plants are very important: "an ecosystem is a community of animals, plants and microbes that sustain themselves in the same area or environment by performing the activities of living, feeding, reproducing and interacting. It is a relationship that exists between all the components of an environment. It includes plants, animals, fish and micro -organisms, including soil, water and people".

If humans are at the top of the food-chain, is it really all that smart to keep fishing the oceans, lakes and other water sources until there's no fish left? Or polluting the water, air and earth until nothing can exist in it? Or to keep killing the creatures that keep the ecosystem in balance?

I watched a short film clip on "what the planet would look like if humans disappeared", and if what is predicted in that film clip is true, then it seems as if the planet would perhaps be better off without us.....but then again, since it is humans making the predictions how could we possibly know for sure?

Although us humans seems capable of inflicting all matters of cruelty and other destructive actions, we are also capable of self-reflection and self-awareness, we are able to experience compassion and empathy which can motivate us to care about others, our environment, animals, plants, and any number of other things. According to some, dogs, rats, dolphins and elephants are also capable of "feeling" compassion, although, again, this is from a human perspective. And this, I guess is the heart of the matter of this post: "Our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings." (Pope Francis)

 

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." (Sigmund Freud)

 

"We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such suffering on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognise it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace." (Albert Schweitzer)