Libby's 5th Birthday Party

I drove to Nashville this weekend to attend my niece Libby's birthday party which was held at one of the local recreation centers. The theme of the party was Dinosaurs and I have compiled a collections of clips from the event. The best part is at the end when Libby has trouble blowing out the candles. No, they were not trick candles, but libby has a special technique she uses to blow out birthday candles, and it has never been all that efficient. See for yourself.

Analog Dreamscapes

     Imagine you are on your way to work in the city. You have made this journey many times before with minimal complications but this day is different. Something is always in the way, perhaps a fence too high to climb or a river too deep to cross. Time is running short; your anxiety increases.

     When information first enters our thoughts, sensory memory takes a snapshot of our environment but stores it only briefly. Analog Dreamscapes is a series of images that realizes how we unconsciously process information as images while we go about our daily lives. These images can sometimes reoccur in our unconsciousness, no longer vivid and clear but faded and impressionistic and almost totally lacking in color and detail.

     Most of what we dream about is so ordinary that after we awake we remember only pieces of vague images and perhaps the overall theme of the dream or feelings it evoked. In time, these experiences fade away only to make room for new ones.

     The images portrayed in Analog Dreamscapes are ordinary in content and displayed in the form of a contact sheet. This addresses the deliberate but random sequence of events as they occur in a dream disturbed by the unconscious anxiety and the fears we face in our everyday lives but experience more intensely in our dreams. 

     Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have been neglecting my blog for some time now. I hope that all of my faithful, and loyal followers will forgive me. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. Things are finally beginning to pick up and it has been a difficult journey. I have been working on several projects and I will use my faithful blog to record and document my latest work.

     I recently completed a series of architectural renderings for the 57th Annual Housewalk & Boutique. The Housewalk is a holiday tour of homes located in Kenilworth, Illinois which is located in  Chicagoland's Northshore. The homes in this neighborhood are absolutely amazing. Many of them look more like castles than single family homes and some of the homes on the tour are over 100 years old.

     My part in this whole project was to design a cover image for the invitation, and illustrate only the entrance to each of the homes. I used watercolors to create the illustrations because the medium lends it's self well to architectural renderings.

Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium

     My sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew came up from Nashville to visit this past weekend. During their visit I had the opportunity to take them to Navy Pier. We took the water taxi from Navy Pier to the Shedd Aquarium to see the new jellyfish exhibit along with many other exhibits at the aquarium. While my nephew is too young to really benefit from a visit to the aquarium, my niece Libby, had a great time. However I believe Libby could figure out a way to have fun at a Timeshare meeting.

  

Before and After Mattie Picture

Urban Landscapes

Super Moon over Lake Michigan

GOP porn

I think Mitch McConnell represents everything that is wrong with this country. I could write this long blog about all the lies, deception, and greed but I don't feel like it. Anyway a visual image of what I believe to be a nightly ritual of his is more effective.

Election 2012

I just recently read an article that said Palin is still considering running for President in the 2012 election. While she has lost a lot of her fan base many still plan to support her if she runs. I don't get it.

Rider into the Storm

 I am drawn to images of rural  decay. As I drive along the highway in North Carolina I begin to slowly drift onto the shoulder. My eyes are diverted from the road to the dilapidated tobacco barns that are a common site for travelers in this region.
      I was born in a small town in Southeastern Arkansas. Images of the poverty stricken Mississippi River Delta permeate my psyche. I know I am not the only person who shares this unusual interest in old things. I say it is unusual because looking at old objects only reminds me of my own mortality. I am reminded that someday I will meet the same fate.
      If these things remind me of my own mortality why does it draw interest instead of fear? I decided I would think about this long and hard until I reached some sort of conclusion. These images are images of history. They are things of the past, that to some degree, remind me of my own past. It is easier and more pleasant to focus on the past. I enjoy recalling memories of my youth and times in my life when the world seemed full of opportunity. Dwelling on the past makes it easy to avoid thinking about the future. The past is certain and the future is not.
     Coming to terms with my own mortality makes everything in the present seem that much more beautiful because as each day passes, I know it could be my last. As I drive into the future that is fraught with danger and uncertainty, I leave behind the familiar, and hope that I will eventually overcome my fear.

The Forbidden Fruit

      Man has been fascinated by dreams for centuries and some religions have their roots in dreams. The word apocalypse has been associated with death, destruction, and the end of the world. However, it actually has the same meaning as revelation. It means a revealing of something unknown by mankind. This revelation comes to us in a state of unconsciousness. I have always been fascinated with my own dreams and I am just starting to realize how much I can learn about myself from my dreams.
     Last night I had a dream that I was riding my BMX bike and soaring through the sky as I hit some conveniently placed ramps along the way.  The overall feeling of the dream was a great sense of freedom.  I met a nice old lady and parked my bike as she invited me into her house to taste her experimental fudge recipe. I remember the feeling of warm southern hospitality as she invited me into her home.  She handed me this square of fudge and said "taste this and tell me what you think." Without hesitation I took a bite. It was the best fudge I had ever tasted. I could not stop at just one piece. I had to have more, and as I was shoveling down another piece, I suggested she enter her newly acquired recipe into a contest because it would surely win.
     The biblical references in this dream are hard to ignore. As I travel through unknown territory I stumble onto the Garden of Eden. My garden was a humble southern home with a nice little old lady who had discovered a fudge recipe that had the power to tempt even the strongest of souls. To be tempted is human. To over indulge is dangerous.
      The story of Adam and Eve was not written to explain the origins of man. It was written to explain original sin. It is a story that forces us to confront our temptations and realize that sometimes dangerous addictions can be in the form of things that seem harmless. When these forbidden fruits begin to disrupt our lives, and the lives of our friends and family, they become harmful to our spiritual growth.
     The goal is to recognize what these things are and begin to learn to moderate them. I believe that balancing all the things that are important in our lives is the key to happiness. Cutting out those things that are harmful is important as well. I have always known this but have just had times in my life where my weaknesses made me vunerable to bad influences. In this particular instance my dream was a subconscious reminder of the temptations I will constantly face in my conscious life. They attack when you least expect it and before you know it your knee deep in $#&T.

2011 Chicago Blizzard

Portrait of Libby

Adventures of Libby Harvey

     I have compiled a series of clips from my niece Libby's trip to Chicago. I was responsible for taking Libby sledding on the first day. The first clip is of her sledding adventure. I will admit when we first arrived at the hill I was concerned that it might be a little much for a 4-year old. I would say this hill, from top to bottom, was close to the size of a 4 story building. She was by far the youngest child out there.  I started her off only half way up the hill and was reluctant to let her go. She did not share my concern and was ready to graduate to the summit immediately. There are also some various clips from the many museums we visited. Enjoy.

Portrait of Boopers

I made some portraits of my nephew.  He is a fine specimen. 

Visit from Niece and Nephew

My Niece and nephew came to visit this week from Nashville and we have taken them to the Swedish-American Museum and the Natural History Museum. Here are some pictures from both museums. I am working on a video that I will post at the end of the week.

My latest work

     I created this drawing of my niece and nephew for my sister to give as a gift to her mother and father in law. I was asked at the last minute if I could complete this drawing by Christmas. I had to work fast and there are some things about it I would do differently if I had more time. I also do not have any good drawing materials and had to do it on computer paper with a number 2 pencil. I was thinking about the artist James Hampton who was an African American artist who worked as a janitor and used scavenged materials to create religious art. If he can create something out of nothing then so can I.

Libby's Art

     It appears as though my niece is quite the artist. She loves creating things and one of her birthday gifts was more paper for her easel. My sister sent me these pictures she painted and explained that the only help she received with the bird paintings was in rendering the feet and the beak.
     I am very impressed with these paintings. They are very well done for a 4 year old and extremely advanced for any child. The only reason she needs help rendering some detail is because she does not hold the paint brush properly. Once she learns this skill she may end up being a regular Picasso.
     I also like the abstract painting along with it's title. Very creative!!!!!

Hell on Earth

     Religion is about learning how to love yourself so you will be able to love others. It's about learning how to forgive and turn the other cheek. It is about caring for those who are less fortunate. Religion teaches things like compassion, understanding, sharing, and empathy.  It helps us to understand our suffering and how it can make us stronger. It teaches us how to live in peace in our communities, and accept people for who they are, and understand that none of us are perfect.
     I believe this is the sole purpose of religion. These are important lessons we can learn from religion. If one is able to extract these ideas from religion, and avoid focusing on all the crap that people who know nothing about religion try to emphasize, you will avoid a hellish life on earth. Hell on earth is definitely real.
     Religion is not about judging people and condemning them to hell if they don't believe everything you believe. I am willing to bet my own life that there is no place called hell, where if you don't live a perfect life, you will be condemned to this place for eternity. The idea that a loving and forgiving god would create a place like that is asinine.
     But if there was a Hell, I kinda wonder what would that Hell would be like? For some people it my be an enclosed space with only a single TV. And that TV only will allow you to turn off the power if you have the remote. And the remote is nowhere to be found. As you spend eternity searching for this non-existing remote you are forced to watch re-runs of "Joey" or "Cop Rocks." Or maybe your Hell would be an eternity of driving in Florida traffic where the person in front of you avoids the left-turning lane to make a left turn, stops at green lights, and travels 15 mph under the posted speed limit.
     My personal Hell would be sitting and listening to right-winged fundamentalists speak about religion (something they know nothing about) and being annoyed by stupid, pointless religious messages on an interstate highway. So to all those fundamentalists and stupid religious billboard makers out there; "you are all annoying cock-weasels, and if I am going to hell, I can guarantee now that god knows what my personal hell would be, I will be taking you with me."   PEACE :)

Two Birds with one Stone

     I travelled to Nashville this weekend to attend my nieces' birthday party and the baptism ceremony of my nephew. The first night I had a sleep over with my niece Libby. She was upset because her cousin did not want to sleep over in her room the night before her party. My sister said, "I bet uncle jack will have a sleep over with you." I agreed and before too long was snuggled up in a princess sleeping bag that was bursting at the seems as I attempted to fit inside it.
     Libby wanted me to sing her some songs before "sleep time" and requested "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." I gladly sung it for her. Her next request I was concerned that I did not know all the words. She requested that I sing "The Camptown Ladies." I informed her that I did not know the whole song and she said "do your best." This is all I knew:


The Campptown ladies sing this song,
Doo-da, Doo-da
The Camptown racetrack's five miles long
Oh, de doo-da day
Goin' to run all night
Goin' to run all day

At this point I just started making up words hoping that she would not notice. I mean come on she just turned four. After I was done she said "You were right Uncle Jack you don't know that song" I asked her to help refresh my memory to see if she knew the words. In her High Pitched Nashville twang she said;

"I bet my money on a bob-tailed nag
Somebody bet on the gray"

I could not stop laughing. Anyway it was a fun trip and we hit a snow storm on the way back.

   Libby loves dogs. She asked me what my favorite animal was and I said the Duckbill Platypus.
   She then proceeded to ask if the platypus was nocturnal or diurnal. I said "nocturnal of course."